Small nonfarm businesses in 75 Arkansas counties and neighboring parishes in Louisiana and counties in Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas are now eligible to apply for low‑interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration,
announced Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West.
These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by excessive heat and drought in the following primary counties that began on May 30, 2022.
Primary Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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;
Neighboring Louisiana parishes: Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, East Carroll, Morehouse, Union, Webster and West Carroll;
Neighboring Mississippi counties: Bolivar, Coahoma, DeSoto, Issaquena, Tunica and Washington;
Neighboring Missouri counties: Barry, Butler, Dunklin, Howell, McDonald, Oregon, Ozark, Ripley, Stone and Taney;
Neighboring Oklahoma counties: Adair, Delaware, Le Flore and Sequoyah;
Neighboring Tennessee counties: Shelby and Tipton;
Neighboring Texas counties: Bowie and Cass.
“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Garfield said.
Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and
operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
“Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 2.935 percent for businesses and 1.875 percent for private nonprofit organizations, a maximum term
of 30 years and are available to small businesses and most private nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Garfield said.
By law, 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.
Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration.
However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.
The deadline to apply for economic injury is May 15, 2023.
How to Apply
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 on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please 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.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners
with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn
more, visit www.sba.gov.
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The information contained in this publication does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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