Update Dec. 13, 2019: State Individual Assistance will be at the Life Saving Church from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 17 and 18, to help with and answer any questions on IA application processing.
The deadline for submitting applications to the Small Business Administration for a disaster relief loan and for state Individual Assistance is Monday (Dec. 16).
This assistance for relief from the devastating flooding by Hurricane Dorian is a two-step process and not simply a handout. All islanders seeking the state Individual Assistance must first fill out the SBA loan application.
State Individual Assistance was approved in October after federal help for Ocracoke flood victims through FEMA was denied, but it is tied to the SBA loan process.
If the SBA loan request is denied, then islanders have the opportunity to get state-funded grants (state Individual Assistance).
If they are granted an SBA loan, they can take it or not, but if they don’t take it, they cannot apply for state Individual Assistance.
Teresa Adams, the Ocracoke liaison to Hyde County said, that because of the pending application cutoff, people should apply for both the SBA loan and Individual Assistance at the same time.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website here. Click on Loan Information in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
But Adams can assist islanders with this process, including those who don’t have internet.
She is available to help from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday (Dec. 13) and Monday (Dec. 16) in the Life Saving Church.
“I will be glad to help, but the best way to do it is online,” she said. The SBA loan application is done online, but the application for state Individual Assistance is done through both email and fax, she said.
She stressed that all of the necessary documents can be sent later.
“You just have to get the application in by Monday,” she said. “Once you’re in, you’re in. If you don’t have all criteria paperwork you can do that later. Just get the application in.”
After Monday, Adams will be available by appointment only. Her number for appointments or questions is 252-921-0053.
In addition to the SBA and IA applications, Adams can help islanders with food stamp information; housing applications to elevate homes; Legal Aid info; re-entry permits; contractor lists; and various online information.
The state phone number for IA is 919-825-2378
The number for SBA loans is 800-659-2955
In October, Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state disaster declaration for counties that suffered damages from Hurricane Dorian, which allows the state to help individuals with recovering.
