Governor Bruce Rauner announced yesterday that the U.S. Small Business Administration had approved the state’s request for assistance to help people and businesses in Christian and Iroquois counties recover from severe storms and floods that occurred in the area in late December. Patti Thompson, Communications Manager for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency told Regional Radio News what that means for people and businesses in Christian County.

Thompson also said that although the request for assistance was approved for Christian and Iroquois counties, people and businesses from the surrounding counties can still apply for an SBA loan.

To be eligible for an SBA declaration, counties must meet certain requirements. Thompson shared with Regional Radio News, why Christian County met those requirements.

To apply for an SBA loan, an individual or business will have to visit a Disaster Loan Outreach Center. The location of these centers hasn’t currently been determined, but will be announced by the Small Business Administration in the near future.