National City flooding
Flooding in National City on Monday. Courtesy OnScene.TV

The U.S. Small Business Administration will open a Business Recovery Center in National City for businesses that were affected by the January storm and flooding, the county announced Friday.

The center will open on Monday at noon at the Southwestern College Higher Education Center located at 880 National City Blvd. It will be in Room 7100 on the first floor in the Center for Business Advancement.

According to a county statement, SBA representatives will be available to help business owners get access to the services they need and low- interest loans.

The Business Recovery Center will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property, equipment, inventory and other business assets, county spokesman Sir Milo Loftin wrote. Those loans will cover losses that are not fully covered by insurance or other recoveries.

The interest on SBA disaster loans will not accrue until 12 months from the date of the first disbursement. Repayment of loans will also begin 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.

To apply for a disaster loan online or find more disaster information assistance, visit SBA.gov/disaster, call the SBA Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955, or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

SBA representatives will also provide help to business owners and residents at the FEMA disaster recovery centers when they open to the public, the county statement reads.

The deadline to apply for property damage is April 19, 2024. The deadline to apply for economic injury is Nov. 19, 2024.

For more information about storm recovery resources, including how to apply for FEMA disaster assistance, visit AlertSanDiego.org/Recovery.