Tennessee Requests SBA Help for Flood Damage

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is requesting assistance from the Small Business Administration to help Putnam and bordering counties recovering from flood damage that occurred earlier this month.

The additional counties that would be eligible for SBA loans are Fentress, Overton, Jackson, Smith, DeKalb, White and Cumberland.

A survey by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the SBA indicates more than 25 homes and businesses in Putnam County sustained uninsured losses of 40 percent or more of their estimated pre-disaster fair market value.

The SBA provides low interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster.