VALDOSTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering relief to South Georgia businesses and organizations affected by a natural disaster last April, according to a statement from SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center East.

The deadline to file for a federal economic injury disaster loan in Georgia “as a result of tornado, rain, wind and hail on April 8, 2020” is Feb. 25, according to the statement released this week.

On April 8, 2020, a brief tornado landed in Ray City, damaging trees and structures, and dissipating before nearing Lakeland, according to a report from the National Weather Service. Parts of Lanier County suffered straight line wind damage while a possible tornado hit north of Valdosta and in Berrien and Lanier counties, according to the NWS report.

“Under this declaration, the SBA’s economic injury disaster loan program is available to eligible farm-related and non-farm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers and ranchers,” the SBA statement read.

The loan is available in Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes and Ware counties. It is offered to “small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations,” according to the administration.

The Electronic Loan Application is at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/. Applicants should apply under SBA declaration number 16504, not COVID-19, the statement read.

Printable applications are available at sba.gov/disaster, the statement read. They can be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX, 76155.

More information: (800) 659-2955 or (800) 877-8339 and DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.