ATLANTA - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are available in Ohio for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations with economic losses due to drought that began on August 20.

The declaration includes the primary counties of Athens, Belmont, Fairfield, Fayette, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Vinton and Washington in Ohio, and the adjacent counties of Adams, Brown, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Franklin, Greene, Lawrence, Licking, Meigs, Scioto, Tuscarawas and Union in Ohio, and Brooke, Cabell, Hancock, Marshall, Mason, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood in West Virginia. 

***Read the entire drought declaration by clicking here***

“Working capital loans from the SBA are essential to eligible small businesses when the Secretary of Agriculture declares a disaster due to farmers’ crop losses,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. “These loans help sustain rural economies when a disaster occurs.”

***Read the press release by clicking here***

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. Apart from aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, and ranchers. Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.