The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters in Georgia of the Jan. 4 deadline to apply for physical damage disaster loans. Anyone in the declared counties with damages affected by the severe flooding on Sept. 7-8, 2021, should apply for the low-interest disaster loan program.

“Waiting to file an SBA application could cause unnecessary delays in receiving disaster assistance, and survivors may miss the application deadline. Submitting the loan application is an essential part of the disaster recovery process,” said Kem Fleming, director of SBA Field Operations Center East.

The declaration covers Cobb County and the adjacent counties of Bartow, Cherokee, Douglas, Fulton, and Paulding in Georgia.       

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/ela/s and should apply under SBA declaration # 17262, not for the COVID-19 incident.

Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications may be downloaded at sba.gov/disaster Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Jan. 4, 2022. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Aug. 5, 2022.