Spithaler School Rd in Forward Township is closed due to a washed out berm. Barricades were placed to deter traffic. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle 08/09/22

Butler County residents and business owners affected by the flooding on Aug. 5 may be eligible for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

On Friday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that his recent request for financial aid from the SBA was approved.

“Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged during this storm,” Wolf said. “We appreciate that SBA recognizes that low-interest loans will help survivors replace lost belongings and help them recover as quickly as possible.”

Also those eligible for SBA assistance are those in Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

SBA regulations allow loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged personal property, including vehicles. Additionally, low-interest loans of up to $200,000 are available to homeowners and renters to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate.

A driver was rescued from Kiester Road in Slippery Rock Borough Friday night after a thunderstorm that left extreme flooding. Impacts from the storm resulted in borough leaders to declare a state of emergency, asking residents to stay indoors.

Businesses and nonprofits can borrow up to $2 million to restore damaged or destroyed buildings, inventory, equipment and other physical losses.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans are also available and are also an option to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact, whether a business sustained physical damage from the storm.

Terms for SBA loans are available for up to a maximum of 30 years and are determined on a case-by-care basis.

To offer in-person assistance, SBA will open a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) at Saint Vincent University’s Fred Rogers Center, 300 Fraser Purchase Rd. Room 1B in Westmoreland County. Tentative hours for the in-person location begin Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The location will then open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday through Friday, Sept. 2, when hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturday, August 27, the location will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Loan applications can be downloaded at sba.gov/disaster and completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Businesses and individuals can gather more information by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 or by emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is October 18, 2022. The deadline to return economic injury disaster loan applications is May 19, 2023.