News Flash

SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Anne Arundel County
to Assist Small Businesses Affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today it will open a
Business Recovery Center (BRC) on Tuesday, April 9, at the Arundel Christian Church, 710
Aquahart Road in Glen Burnie. SBA continues to open more Centers to assist businesses
affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse.
“Our Business Recovery Centers are one of the most powerful resources at SBA’s disposal to
support business owners in the midst of a disaster,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate
administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business
Administration. “Business owners can meet in-person with our specialists to apply for SBA
disaster loans and get information on the full breadth of our programs designed to help them
navigate their recovery.”
The disaster declaration covers the entire state of Maryland and contiguous counties, including
the District of Columbia; Kent, New Castle, and Sussex in Delaware; Adams, Bedford, Chester,
Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, Somerset, and York in Pennsylvania; Accomack,
Independent City of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun in Virginia; and Berkley, Grant,
Hampshire, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan, and Preston in West Virgina.
Customer Service Representatives at SBA’s Business Recovery Centers will assist business owners
in completing their disaster loan applications, accept documents for existing applications, and
provide status on loan applications. The Centers will operate as indicated below until further
notice.

The declaration applies to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture
businesses, and private nonprofit organizations. Applicants in the declared area can now apply
for a federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of up to $2 million to help overcome any
temporary loss of revenue stemming from the bridge collapse. These loans may be used to pay
normal operating expenses such as fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that
can’t be paid because of the disruption.
Eligibility is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property
damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for private
nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years and are restricted to small businesses without
the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship.
Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the first disaster loan
disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first
disbursement.
Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at
sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or
email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For
people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access
telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return economic injury applications is Dec. 30, 2024