Small, nonfarm businesses — including nurseries — in 13 Oregon counties and neighboring counties in California are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). These loans are intended to offset economic losses caused by drought conditions in the following Oregon counties: Grant, Josephine, Baker, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Harney, Jackson, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Wheeler. Neighboring California counties include Del Norte and Siskiyou.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million are available to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could have been met had the drought not occurred. Eligibility for these loans 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 percent for small businesses and 2.625 percent for private, nonprofit organizations, and a maximum term of 30 years. The deadline to apply for these loans is January 14, 2015.

Apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

For more information, contact SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or [email protected], or log on to http://www.sba.gov/disaster.