The temporary disaster outreach centers in Charlotte and Concord will close Friday at 6 p.m. After that, flood victims whose homes or businesses were damaged Aug. 26-27 as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay moved through the state can seek assistance by contacting the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The centers opened Sept. 6 to provide residents and business owners with information and guidance regarding federal loans and state grants that may be available to flood victims.
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesspeople and vehicle owners whose flood losses from Tropical Storm Fay are not covered by insurance or other compensation.
North Carolina Emergency Management offers grants to eligible disaster victims who do not qualify for an SBA loan. To qualify for either program, the applicant must meet predetermined eligibility criteria.
While the centers will close Friday, flood victims can still seek assistance by calling the SBA Disaster Assistance National Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955. Residents can request an application be mailed to them; forms also are available online at www.sba.gov.
All applications for state assistance must be completed and submitted by Monday, Oct. 6, to the N.C. Division of Emergency Management, Individual Assistance Program, 4716 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4716. Applicants can also call toll-free to 1-866-812-3121.
To date, 181 Cabarrus County residents and more than 225 Mecklenburg County residents have visited the disaster outreach centers.