Arlington County Opening Local Recovery Center in Response to July 8

Published on August 08, 2019

Arlington County is opening a Local Recovery Center (LRC) to assist residents and businesses affected by the July 8, 2019 flood. This is in conjunction with the governor's announcement that low-interest federal loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to help homeowners, renters and businesses rebuild from storm damage.

"I am pleased the Small Business Administration has responded positively to Arlington County's request for assistance on behalf of the residents and businesses who are recovering from the July 8 flooding," said County Manager Mark Schwartz. "We know this has been a difficult time for many in our community — the rebuilding process takes time and patience. We appreciate the role these loans will play in helping to ease the recovery."

The SBA will open a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (D-LOC) to answer questions about qualifying for the disaster loan program, and to help individuals complete their applications. Both the LRC and D-LOC will be co-located at the Arlington County Trades Center, 2700 S. Taylor St. (Parks and Natural Resources Operations Building).

People who suffered damage during the July 8 flood may be eligible for financial assistance from the SBA, even if they don't own a business.

The hours of operation of the Arlington County Disaster Loan Outreach Center and Local Recovery Center will be:

• Tuesday, Aug. 13-Thursday, Aug. 15: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.


• Friday, Aug. 16: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.


• Saturday, Aug. 17: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.


• Sunday, Aug. 18: CLOSED


• Monday, Aug. 19: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (note: only the SBA's Disaster Loan Outreach Center will operate on this day)

An additional D-LOC will be open in Fairfax County during the same dates, at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043; Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Mon. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.).

Residents or business owners located in any of the four declared localities — Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church — may visit either of the loan outreach centers or apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) on the SBA's secure website.

SBA Low-Interest Loans

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will make low-interest federal loans available to residents and business owners in the counties of Fairfax and Arlington and the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria to help with recovery from the impacts of the Northern Virginia flooding event on July 8, 2019.

MORE: Governor Northam Announces Low-Interest Loans Available to Help Virginians Impacted by July Flood Event

Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million through the SBA to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. The SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 4 percent for businesses, 2.75 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 1.938 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amount and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant's financial condition.

Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at sba.gov.

Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76155. The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is October 7, 2019. The deadline to return economic injury applications is May 7, 2020.

Arlington County Recovery Center

In addition to the D-LOC, the County will be providing services, resources and information to residents and business in the Local Recovery Center.

Staff from the Community Assistance Bureau will be on-site to help stabilize housing and economic needs (rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.) for eligible Arlington County residents who were impacted by the flood. Additional services will include medication assistance and referrals for supportive counseling.

The County's Inspection Services Division (ISD) and Zoning Division will be on hand to provide general information about applicable building and zoning regulations, procedures, and policies relevant to rebuilding/building, including building inspection, permitting, plan review, code enforcement, and zoning regulations and procedures.

Staff from the County's Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD) division will be on hand to provide information related to Tenant-Landlord Issues, including: general information to renters and homeowners on maintenance and repairs; Pest prevention; Housing Information Center contact information; Mold prevention; Tenant rights and responsibilities; Tenants/Landlord Fair Housing information; Information on working with contractors; and Referrals to DHS (Economic Independence) or ISD (Zoning or Permitting) as needed.


The Department of Environmental Services (DES) will be on hand, ready to answer questions ranging from stormwater to debris management and right-of-way permits. They'll also be distributing information on: the StormwaterWise Landscapes Program, which provides funding for voluntary projects that will reduce stormwater runoff from your property; Tips to prevent flooding; and Residential Trash and Recycling.

Additional resources and information can be found at the County's virtual Flood Recovery Center. These County resources will continue to operate after the recovery center has closed. Those in need are also encouraged to call 2-1-1 or visit 211Virginia.org for community information, resources and referral services.

Background

On Monday, July 8, Arlington County experienced severe weather and flooding, getting inundated with a month's worth of rain in approximately just one hour. The storm necessitated the National Weather Service to issue a Flash Flood Emergency, and caused widespread flooding and significant damage to public facilities, roads, businesses and homes.

In response, County Manager Mark Schwartz signed a Declaration of Local Emergency for Arlington County, effective 8:30 a.m. on July 8, 2019. The County Board formally consented to the declaration of a local emergency on July 13, 2019. The emergency state remains in effect until rescinded.

Image Gallery