Resources Available for Small Businesses Impacted by Hurricanes Helene, Milton

The Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance, encourages small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton to seek available disaster assistance.

"This year has been especially challenging for Florida’s small business community," said Greg Britton, state director of the Florida SBDC Network. "Just as we began to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene, we find ourselves, once again, navigating recovery following Hurricane Milton. At the Florida SBDC, we want business owners to know that we stand beside them—not just in the aftermath, but for the long road ahead. We are committed to supporting their recovery and long-term success, ensuring they have the resources and guidance needed to rebuild stronger than ever.”

The Florida SBDC, in partnership with state and federal agencies, is on the ground in impacted communities, ready to help small business owners navigate the disaster recovery process after both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The Florida SBDC deployed its Mobile Assistance Centers, RVs equipped as a mobile office to provide on-site support, and disaster recovery specialists to severely impacted areas to provide assistance to small businesses affected by the storm. 

As a principal responder in the state’s Emergency Support Function (ESF) 18 for Business and Industry, the Florida SBDC Network is at the forefront of hurricane recovery efforts along with state and federal agencies. The Florida SBDC is coordinating relief initiatives and establishing convenient locations where business owners can access essential resources. 

The Florida SBDC disaster specialists are working closely with state and local officials to connect impacted businesses with available assistance and guide them through the process of applying for state and federal disaster loans.

Available Assistance

State
At the state level, FloridaCommerce has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan (EBL) Program. The loan program provides short-term, zero-interest loans to small businesses who experienced economic injury or physical damage due to Hurricane Helene and Milton.

Loans approved through the Emergency Bridge Loan Program are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding, such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims, or other resources.

Eligible small businesses with 100 employees or less may apply for loans of up to $50,000 through the program. Businesses must also be located in Florida, have been established prior to Sept. 23, 2024 (Hurricane Helene) or Oct. 5, 2024 (Hurricane Milton), be located in an eligible county, must have been economically or physically damaged by Hurricane Helene, have a credit score of 600 or above, and must have repaid all outstanding EBLs.

Visit www.FloridaJobs.org/EBL to learn more about the program, view the lending guidelines and required documentation, and to complete an application. 

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has established the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program to make low-interest or interest-free loans to agricultural and aquaculture producers who have experienced damage from Hurricane Helene. Eligible agriculture and aquaculture producers may apply for loans of up to $500,000 to restore, repair, or replace essential physical property, including fences, equipment, greenhouses, and other buildings, or to remove vegetative debris.

Visit https://disasterloan.fdacs.gov/ to learn more about the program, view the lending guidelines and required documentation, and to complete an application.

Federal
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are also available to eligible businesses who suffered revenue loss or physical damage from the storm in eligible counties. Through the SBA’s Physical Disaster Loan program, businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

The SBA also provides working capital loans for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, caused by the disaster through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). EIDL assistance is available for the primary declared counties, as well as contiguous counties, regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

More Information
For more information on available disaster loans, eligibility, application deadlines, BRC locations, and how the Florida SBDC Network can help, please visit https://floridasbdc.org/disaster.