Federal Emergency Management Agency Recovery centers in Arnold and Pacific will transition to Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Outreach centers between the close of business at 7 p.m. Friday (March 4) and the start of operations at 9 a.m. Monday (March 7), FEMA spokesman Ken Higginbotham announced.
Since opening in late January, the centers have offered both FEMA and SBA assistance.
The Arnold location is in the lower level of Arnold City Hall, 2101 Jeffco Blvd., and the Pacific location is in the Tri-County Senior Center, 800 W. Union St.
Operating hours for the SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, until further notice, Higginbotham said.
The centers will provide information about federal aid programs intended to assist businesses and individuals who suffered losses due to the storms and flooding between Dec. 23 and Jan. 9 in 37 counties and the city of St. Louis.
SBA customer service representatives will continue to meet individually with business owners and residents to answer questions, explain SBA’s disaster loan program, issue applications, help people complete applications and close their disaster loans, Higginbotham said.
Following a federally declared disaster, the SBA makes low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, most nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters to help them pay for restoring their property and possessions
Higginbotham stressed that while the centers are switching their focus to strictly SBA assistance, those seeking to resister for FEMA still may do so by until March 21.
“People still can register for FEMA assistance through our website (www.DisasterAssistance.gov) or by calling us at 800-621-3362,” he said.
Higginbotham urges those who qualify and have yet to seek FEMA assistance to act as soon as possible.
“We don’t want people to wait to the last minute,” he said.
FEMA grants may be provided for temporary housing; property repair; replacing lost household items; medical, dental and transportation needs not covered by insurance or charitable programs; and up to 26 weeks of unemployment pay for people who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster.
Counseling is on the list of services, too, as well as legal advisory assistance.
Disaster assistance applicants who are hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use TTY should call 800-462-7585; those who use 711 or Video Relay Service should call 800-621-3362.