Completed SBA Applications Help Speed Disaster Assistance
Release Date: November 19, 2003
Release Number: 1498-30
» More Information on California Wildfires
PASADENA, Calif. -- Southern California wildfire victims who were issued a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster home loan application should complete and return it as quickly as possible. Doing so will ensure that each individual or family is considered for other types of additional assistance after SBA makes a decision on the loan request, federal and state officials said today.
"We strongly urge you to submit your SBA application," said Dallas Jones, state coordinating officer with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. "Even if you are not sure if you will qualify, you must complete and return your SBA application in order to be eligible for other forms of available assistance."
"We want to make sure that every disaster victim remains eligible for help from all of the various programs which may be available to them," said William Carwile III, FEMA's federal coordinating officer. "The best and fastest way to accomplish that is to submit the SBA application. If SBA cannot offer a disaster loan, they will refer the case onward to other sources of assistance."
At the request of Governor Gray Davis, President Bush declared five southern California counties a major disaster area on October 27 due to the wildfires. Those counties are Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura.
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services coordinates overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for ensuring California's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, manmade and war-caused emergencies and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 18-Jan-2005 10:32:32