Governor Hochul Announces Three Outreach Centers Now Open in Rensselaer, Otsego, and Niagara Counties Following Small Business Administration Approval of Physical Disaster Declaration for July Weather Events

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the approval of a Physical Disaster Declaration for Rensselaer, Otsego, and Niagara counties, following a request to the Small Business Administration on September 1. The declaration is related to three separate severe weather events in late July which caused damage to homes and businesses primarily in Rensselaer, Otsego and Niagara counties. This allows eligible New Yorkers in these three counties and their adjacent counties to apply for low-interest loans to help rebuild and recover. Governor Hochul is encouraging New Yorkers looking for one-on-one, in-person assistance to visit the new service centers established by the SBA.

"Thanks to the Small Business Administration, New Yorkers impacted by the severe storms and flash flooding we experienced in several parts of the state in late July are now eligible to apply for disaster relief," Governor Hochul said. "I thank Administrator Guzman for her support and encourage those who were victims of these weather events to visit the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers in their respective communities and begin the recovery process."

The Disaster Loan Outreach Centers are now open to residents of the following counties:

Niagara, Erie, Genesee and Orleans counties:

Niagara County Emergency Management Center
5574 Niagara Street Ext., Lockport, NY 14094

More information for residents of Niagara, Erie, Genesee and Orleans counties is available here.

Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia, Greene, Saratoga and Washington counties:

Town of Sand Lake Building
8428 NY Route 66, Averill Park, NY 12018

More information for residents of Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia, Greene, Saratoga and Washington counties is available here.

Otsego, Schoharie, Delaware, Chenango, Madison, Oneida, Herkimer and Montgomery counties:

Morris Fire Department
117 East Main Street, Morris, NY 13808

More information for residents of Otsego, Schoharie, Delaware, Chenango, Madison, Oneida, Herkimer and Montgomery counties is available here.

All three outreach centers will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sites will permanently close on Friday, September 24, at 4 p.m.

For more information about disaster loans and applications, New Yorkers can visit sba.gov/disaster or call the SBA's Customer Service center at 1-800-659-2955 (or 1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing).

The deadline to return applications for physical property damage is November 8, 2021 and the deadline for economic injury applications is June 9, 2022.