Small nonfarm businesses in all 75 Arkansas counties are now eligible to apply for low‑interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2023, according to a news release.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA's Disaster Field Operations Center-West.
These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenue caused by excessive heat and drought that began on May 30 in these areas:
Primary counties: Arkansas, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Miller, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saint Francis, Saline, Scott, Sebastian, Sharp, Stone, Union, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell;
Neighboring counties: Ashley, Baxter, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Drew, Greene, Hempstead, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Marion, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Phillips, Polk, Searcy, Sevier and Van Buren.
SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. secretary of agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. The secretary declared this disaster on Sept. 13, 2022.
Assistance is also available for neighboring parishes in Louisiana and counties in Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.