Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to Louisiana residents, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations that are recovering after Tropical Storm Arthur on June 17-18.
Homeowners, renters and businesses in Avoyelles, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes may now apply if they had damage from the storm.
FEMA partners with other agencies to help meet the needs of disaster survivors. Disaster loans are the largest source of federal recovery funds for storm survivors. They help private property owners pay for disaster losses not covered by insurance, local or state programs. SBA loans also cover deductibles and increased cost of compliance after a disaster. Survivors should not wait for an insurance settlement before submitting an SBA loan application.
Interest rates on disaster loans can be as low as 2.87% for homeowners and renters, 3.62% for private nonprofit organizations and 4% for businesses with terms up to 30 years for physical damage to real estate, inventory, supplies, machinery and equipment. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Interest does not begin to accrue and loan payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first disaster loan disbursement. There is no cost to apply.
Homeowners may be eligible for a disaster loan up to $500,000 for primary residence repairs or rebuilding. SBA may also be able to help homeowners and renters with loans up to $100,000 to replace important personal property, including vehicles damaged or destroyed in the storm.
Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace items such as property, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, to protect property from future disasters. The loan application deadline for physical property damage is Aug. 31, 2026.
Small businesses and private nonprofit organizations may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage and are also available to the following parishes: Acadia, Assumption, Catahoula, Concordia, Evangeline, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafayette, LaSalle, Orleans, Rapides, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.
The application deadline for economic injury loans is March 30, 2027.
In partnership with FEMA and the state, SBA representatives are available to provide one-on-one assistance to disaster loan applicants at sites throughout the affected areas. Walk-ins are welcome and appointments can be scheduled in advance at https://appointment.sba.gov/.
SBA’s Recovery Centers are open at the following locations:
AVOYELLES PARISH
Montez M. Juneau Branch Library
209 Cottonport Ave.
Cottonport, LA 71327
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
LAFOURCHE PARISH
LSU Ag Center
115 Texas Street
Raceland, LA 70394
Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
POINTE COUPEE PARISH
Pointe Coupee Parish Library
Innis Branch
6444 LA-1
Innis, LA 70747
Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
ST. TAMMANY PARISH
Towers Administration Building, Suite 2F
520 Old Spanish Trail Slidell, LA 70458
Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closes permanently Friday, July 31 at 4 p.m.
TERREBONNE PARISH
Main Library, 2nd Floor
151 Library Drive
Houma, LA 70360
Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Applications for disaster loans may be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal at https://lending.sba.gov or other locally announced locations. Please contact the SBA’s Customer Service Center by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or by phone at 800-659-2955 for further assistance. For people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4927. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.
