Earthquake assistance center relocates to Rio Dell

The Small Business Administration opened a new disaster loan outreach center to assist Humboldt County residents and businesses to recover from the earthquakes that began Dec. 20.

As of Tuesday morning, the center has approved 91 disaster recovery loans totaling $3,983,100 — seven business loans totaling $349,100 and 84 home loans totaling $3,634,000.

The center at Fortuna’s Rohner Park is being relocated to the Rio Dell Community Resource Center. The last day the disaster outreach center will be offering assistance is Feb. 10.

“SBA opened the center to provide personalized assistance to California businesses and residents affected by the earthquake that occurred Dec. 20, 2022, with continuing aftershocks,” Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West said in a prepared statement. “Until the center closes, SBA customer service representatives will continue to be available to meet with businesses and residents to answer their questions, explain SBA’s disaster loan program and close their approved disaster loans.”

The SBA Rio Dell Disaster Loan Outreach Center is at the Rio Dell Community Resource Center, formerly known as the Chamber of Commerce building, at 406 Wildwood Avenue, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The final day of operations is Feb. 10.

The deadline to apply for disaster loans for physical damage to a home or business is March 6. The application deadline for businesses to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan is Oct. 4.