Harder Urges SBA to Give San Joaquin Families More Time to Apply for Assistance After a Disaster

WASHINGTON — Rep. Harder is taking further action to protect San Joaquin County families from natural disasters and make sure that they have enough time to apply for loans to cover damage to their property and get back on their feet. Rep. Harder joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in urging the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to extend the application deadlines for physical damage loans following a disaster declaration. After the heavy rain and storms early last year, a presidential disaster was declared, making federal assistance from FEMA and SBA available. Rep. Harder heard from many San Joaquin families who weren’t able to get the federal help they needed because red tape and the government’s flawed protocols got in the way. As the region continues to deal with more wildfires, floods,  and extreme storms, Rep. Harder is working to make sure families can get the help they need next time a disaster happens.

“When disasters like extreme flooding hit, families’ lives can get turned upside down. Last year, San Joaquin County families had to fight way too much red tape to get the help they needed,” said Rep. Harder. “People barely have time to pick up the pieces or wade through the water in their homes before the disaster assistance deadline has passed. We had to fight tooth and nail for federal aid after the bomb cyclone last January. Now we need the federal government to listen to our families and give them enough time to file for aid before the next disaster hits.”

This letter follows recent updates made to FEMA’s disaster aid program that includes Rep. Harder’s recommendations. The updates FEMA made in response to Harder’s requests include removing loan application requirements, making it easier to secure housing assistance, and streamlining temporary housing assistance applications. A full list of FEMA’s disaster assistance updates can be found here.

“The SBA plays a critical role in supporting survivors of natural disasters and serves as a lifeline for so many people after experiencing tremendous loss. However, we are concerned that the current deadlines for loan applications are incompatible with the real-life experiences of many of our constituents immediately following a disaster and do not allow enough time for individuals to understand whether or not they require assistance from the SBA,” Rep. Harder and his colleagues wrote.

The letter continues: “Many of our constituents have expressed that they could have benefitted from the SBA disaster loan program, but could not meet the application deadline, given the ongoing stressors in their lives following the disaster. Furthermore, many have expressed that they did not know at the time of the deadline that they would need to apply for a disaster loan given the delays in receiving an estimate from their insurance company. As a result, the current average two to three-month deadlines put in place for these disaster loan applications have led to many constituents facing crippling financial hardship and unnecessary bureaucratic red tape after such a tragic experience.

By extending the disaster loan program deadline, the SBA will be able to enhance services to the American people concerning disaster recovery, and we therefore request that you consider extending these deadlines.” 

The letter was led by Reps. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and John Curtis (R-UT) and signed by several members of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, including Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), and Dina Titus (D-NV). 

Read the full letterHERE.

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