The deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration will hold a news conference in Sedro-Woolley on Wednesday.
BURLINGTON, Wash. — The deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be Skagit County Wednesday to meet with local leaders and highlight the agency’s ongoing flood recovery efforts.
Bill Briggs will also hold a news conference at Sedro-Woolley City Hall, where the SBA has set up a disaster loan outreach center to help people navigate the application process.
“To offset the damage that was done, we took out a loan through them and it’s been a pretty good process so far,” said Erin Kness, who lives near the Gages Slough in Burlington.
The slough, which typically drains into the Skagit River, overflowed when heavy rain hit the region in December.
“I want to go [Wednesday] and ask some questions, because I really don’t want this to happen again,” Kness said of the meeting in Sedro-Woolley.
While many homes and property inside the river’s traditional floodplain were spared from disaster, dozens near the slough were less fortunate.
“If those tunnel systems or flow systems were cleaned out … it wouldn’t have clogged up there, and it wouldn’t have taken three days to pump them out,” said Kness. “I don’t think anything has been done since. I’m really curious of that.”
The city said “extreme amounts of river water entered the slough near District Line Road, much more than it has the capacity to convey.”
How the SBA loans work
Businesses and nonprofits can borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged property, equipment and inventory. Homeowners can apply for up to $500,000 to repair or replace their primary residence, while renters and homeowners can borrow up to $100,000 for personal property losses. Interest rates start as low as 2.875% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Payments don’t begin until 12 months after the first loan disbursement.
The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is also available for small businesses and nonprofits that suffered financial losses even without physical damage.
How to apply
The outreach center at Sedro-Woolley City Hall is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Apply online at sba.gov/disaster or call (800) 659-2955. The deadline for physical damage applications is April 27. Economic injury applications are due November 24.
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