There are two critical deadlines approaching for SBA disaster assistance.

1. Physical Damage Loan Deadline – April 27th

If you or someone in your community has applied for SBA assistance and found their application listed as "Withdrawn," please know that this does not mean the application has been denied. In many cases, applications were placed in withdrawn status due to missing information that needs to be corrected before approval.

🔹 Action Needed: If your application is in withdrawn status and you still need assistance, it is critical to follow up before the April 27th deadline. After this date, SBA representatives will no longer be available in the field to assist with processing applications.

2. Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – Deadline June 30th

For business owners in need of working capital, our Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program offers a low-interest financial lifeline to help keep operations running—covering expenses like payroll, utilities, and rent.

🔹 Why Apply? Even if you're unsure whether you need assistance, I encourage you to apply and review your loan offer. If the terms don’t make sense for your business, you can always decline it. With 30-year repayment terms, we aim to make payments as manageable as possible.

Next Steps

If you or anyone in your community needs help with their SBA application and we want to ensure that all eligible businesses and residents get the support they need.

Please share this information with your neighbors and fellow business owners. Let’s make sure everyone has the chance to access these resources before the deadlines pass!

- Posted 04.02.25

Any small business in Wilkes that may need to seek assistance from FEMA and not do the SBA loan process, can visit the Business Disaster Center in Watauga County.  It is located inside of the Disaster Recovery Center in Boone, 255 Washington Ave. Boone, NC.  Hours are Monday – Saturday 8 am – 6 pm.  Tourism businesses seeking to recover lost stays and Small Business’s not wanting a loan with the government can visit the Disaster Recovery Center.  This is one of the 4 business centers FEMA has opened across the West.

The US Small Business Administration has made available low-interest disaster loans for businesses and residents in North Carolina.  Click the link to read the news release.  US Small Business Administration News Release.  

A fact sheet is also available regarding these news release, here.  US Small Business Administration Fact Sheet - Disaster Loans

Department of Commerce & SBTC
The Department of Commerce and the Small Business and Technology Development Center are recommending businesses receive free counseling before applying for federal aid. For more information and for more disaster recovery resources - Click Here.