SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Businesses and Residents of Illinois
Affected by Severe Storm and Flooding
A Message from the SBA….
WASHINGTON – Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are
available to businesses and residents in Illinois following the announcement of a Presidential disaster
declaration due to a severe storm and flooding that occurred July 25-28, 2022.
“SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help Illinois small businesses and residents impacted by
this disaster in every way possible under President Biden’s disaster declaration for certain affected
areas,“ said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “We’re committed to providing federal
disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and
communities recover and rebuild.”
The disaster declaration covers St. Clair County in Illinois, which is eligible for both Physical and
Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit
organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury
Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and Washington in Illinois; and St. Louis
County and St. Louis City in Missouri.
Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or
replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other
business assets.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and
most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help
meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is
available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or
destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace
disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property.
Building back smarter and stronger can be an effective recovery tool for future disasters. Applicants
may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by
the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm
shelter, sump pump, elevation, retaining walls, and landscaping to help protect property and
occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.
Applicants that have an existing SBA disaster loan may apply under this declaration. Businesses and
residents with previous SBA disaster loans and current applicants have up to two years from the date
of their prior loan approval in which to request a loan increase for mitigation projects.
“The opportunity to include measures to help prevent future damage from occurring is a significant
benefit of SBA’s disaster loan program,” said SBA Associate Administrator Francisco Sanchez, Jr. “I
encourage everyone to consult their contractors and emergency management mitigation specialists for
ideas and apply for an SBA disaster loan increase for funding.”
Interest rates are as low as 2.935 for businesses, 1.875 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 1.688
percent for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the
SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at
DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA mobile app. If online or mobile access is unavailable,
applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video
Relay Services should call 800-621-3362.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at
https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ and should apply under SBA declaration # 17677.
Disaster loan information and application forms can also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer
Service Center at 800-659-2955 (if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial
7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services) or sending an email to
DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded from sba.gov/disaster.
Completed applications should be 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 Dec. 13, 2022. The deadline
to return economic injury applications is July 14, 2023.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the
only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the
SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to
start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through
an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To
learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
