The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations that June 26 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans in Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties in North Carolina as a result of the drought that began on Oct. 18, 2016.

“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in South Carolina. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers.  Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.   

For more information visit SBA’s secure website at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

– article submitted by Mike Ernandes