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CONTACT:
Sharon Watson
Director, Public Affairs Office
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      Oct. 13, 2008

No. 08-110

TWO KANSAS COUNTIES ELIGIBLE FOR SBA LOANS DUE TO SEVERE SEPTEMBER STORMS

Residents of two Kansas counties will be eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration by virtue of being contiguous to several counties in Oklahoma that were affected by severe storms in September.

Homeowners in Cowley and Sumner Counties in Kansas are eligible to apply for up to $200,000 in loans to repair or replace real estate property that was damaged or destroyed by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that affected five Oklahoma counties and these two Kansas counties during a period of Sept. 11 through Sept. 18. Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for up to $40,000 in loans to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

"This federal assistance can be helpful as folks impacted by these storms recover," said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. "The way the federal guidelines are written, sometimes it's difficult to reach the threshold for assistance. However, because these two Kansas communities are adjacent to the counties in Oklahoma that meet the federal bar, residents will be eligible to apply for federal assistance."

In addition, business owners and private, non-profit organizations may apply for up to $2 million in loans to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. The SBA can also lend additional funds to homeowners and businesses for projects that would mitigate the effects of future disasters.

Kansas residents may apply by contacting the SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955; TTY (800) 877-8339; email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Assistance and information is also available on the SBA Web site www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

The filing deadline to apply for property damage assistance is Dec. 8, 2008. The deadline to apply for economic injury assistance is July 8, 2009.

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