The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services is requesting information from local businesses that experienced revenue losses during the Gap Fire.

The information will be submitted to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to determine if a request to the U.S. Small Business Administration is warranted. Completed economic injury worksheets must be returned to the Santa Barbara County OES office no later than Nov. 6.

The SBA’s economic injury disaster loans are loans for working capital available to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that can’t be met as a direct result of the disaster. The loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.

The loans are available only to entities and their owners who can’t provide for their own recovery from nongovernment sources, as determined by the SBA. An economic injury disaster loan is available even if the business didn’t suffer physical damage. Economic injury disaster loans are made at a 4 percent interest rate, and eligible small businesses may borrow up to $2 million as determined by the SBA.

Businesses must complete the Estimated Disaster Economic Injury Worksheet for Businesses form available online. Click here to estimate your losses. Send the completed form, by fax only, to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services at 805.560.1032.

The county will submit the applications to the State Office of Emergency Services for consideration of requesting SBA’s economic injury disaster loan program.

Business owners with questions about the SBA loans can call Richard Abrams, supervising planner/coordinator for Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services, at 805.681.5567.

William Boyer is Santa Barbara County‘s communications director.