Calabasas Disaster Recovery Office To Become SBA Disaster Office Additional SBA Office Opens In Lancaster
Release Date: February 25, 2005
Release Number: 1577-020
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PASADENA, Calif. -- To meet the current needs of the community, the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and State disaster recovery officials announced today that the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Calabasas will remain open as an SBA Disaster Office, and an additional SBA Office will open in Lancaster.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), FEMA and SBA opened the DRC to provide one-stop, face-to-face assistance and disaster information to individuals and businesses who suffered damage as a result of the severe storms of December 27 through January 11.
After registering for disaster assistance with FEMA, individuals and business owners were able to visit the center to obtain information about the types of disaster assistance available from agencies such as OES, FEMA, SBA and other agencies.
The Calabasas DRC becomes an SBA Disaster Office on Thursday, March 3 and will continue to be located at the Las Virgenes Water District (Bldg. 8), 4232 Las Virgenes Rd. It will be open on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.until further notice.
An additional SBA Disaster Office will open in Lancaster at the Lancaster Library, 601 Lancaster Blvd. (between Cedar Street and Date Street). The office will open this Saturday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. and days of operation will be Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.
At the Calabasas and Lancaster SBA Disaster Offices, SBA representatives will continue to provide individuals and business owners with face-to-face service in completing their loan applications, answering questions about SBA’s loan program, and explaining how an SBA disaster loan can help pay for their disaster losses. Informational materials will also be available on FEMA’s Individual and Household Program and the Hazard Mitigation Program.
Low interest disaster loans from SBA are available to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations. Disaster loans from SBA are the primary source of funds for repairing and rebuilding disaster damaged private property.
Individuals affected by the storms of Dec. 27 through Jan. 11 may still register for federal and state disaster assistance by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration number: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. The lines are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily.
OES 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.
SBA is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 25-Feb-2005 12:44:08