On Oct. 16, the Small Business Administration approved Governor Cooper’s request for a disaster declaration for Hyde County allowing affected residents and businesses to apply for low-interest SBA disaster loans. SBA’s customer service representatives are available at the Ocracoke Joint Recovery Center to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications.

On Oct. 17, Governor Roy Cooper also signed a disaster declaration making state funded individual assistance available to affected counties. This will additional funding source will help fill the gaps that insurance and the SBA can’t help with. Anyone seeking state individual assistance will first need to fill out an application with the SBA.

Representatives from the state individual assistance program and the SBA are available at the Joint Recovery Center, located in the Ocracoke Variety Store parking lot, 950 Irvin Garrish Highway. The new operating hours for the Joint Recovery Center are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Joint Recovery Center will be open through Oct. 31.

An additional funding source is available from the Outer Banks Community Foundation donation fund. Per the request of the foundation, a committee of Ocracoke firefighters has been formed to distribute these funds. The most recent estimate on the foundation fund is more than $900,000.

The committee’s goal is to stretch that money as far as it can possibly go, with a focus on community members who do not have resources like insurance or state assistance to get back on their feet. All applicants for funds are encouraged to go to the intake center in the trailer at the Variety Store.

Those who cannot get to the trailer in person can call 919-825-2378 for assistance with the application process, or contact the committee at ocracokerecoveryfund@gmail.com. The committee recently issued a press release with an update on how the fund application process works.

If you have flood insurance and have not filed a claim for Hurricane Dorian related damages, the deadline for filing is 60 days from the date of the loss. Policyholders should do everything they can to submit any remaining requests for payment as soon as possible. For more information, go to www.fema.gov/news-release/2019/10/17/hurricane-dorian-proof-loss-deadline-approaches-policyholders.

To view the SBA fact sheet for this disaster declaration go www.disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Declarations/ViewDisasterDocument/3187
Applicants can also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoan.sba.gov. Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, Texas, 76155. The filing deadline to return SBA applications for physical property damage is Dec. 16. The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 16, 2020.