To meet the needs of disaster survivors, FEMA partners with other agencies. FEMA works with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer low-interest disaster loans to homeowners and renters in a declared major disaster area. These loans help cover disaster-caused damage or mitigation to help prevent future storm damage. You do not need to own a business to apply for a disaster loan. You may have been referred to SBA after initially applying for FEMA disaster assistance.
If you are referred to the SBA, you must complete an SBA disaster loan application on the SBA website or at a Disaster Recovery Center.
If you are approved for a loan, you are not obligated to accept it. If you apply and are not eligible for a low-interest disaster loan, this may open the door to an additional grant from FEMA.
If the SBA does not offer you a loan or only offers a partial loan, SBA will notify FEMA. We can review your application to see if you qualify for additional disaster assistance, such as Personal Property Assistance, Transportation Assistance and/or Group Flood Insurance Policy (GFIP).
FEMA may be able to help with the following even if you don’t apply for a loan from the SBA:
- Home Repair or Replacement
- Rental Assistance
- Medical
- Dental
- Critical Needs
- Child Care
- Funeral
- Clean and Sanitize
- Moving and Storage
- Miscellaneous Items
Since the FEMA Individuals and Households Program does not provide grant assistance to businesses or for rental properties that are not occupied by the owner as a primary residence, FEMA applications of this type are automatically referred to the SBA for disaster loan consideration.
For questions about the SBA disaster loan program, please call the SBA at 800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339). SBA information is also available at www.SBA.gov/disaster or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
Survivors who have questions for FEMA or need information can always visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.