Disaster Recovery Center Relocating to County Admin Building

As of 9 a.m. today, December 13, the federal- and state-run Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) – which had previously been located at the Louise Lowry Davis Center at 1232 De La Vina St. – has moved to the Santa Barbara County Administration Building, at 105 E. Anapamu St., and has become a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) associated with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The center’s previous incarnation had been opened jointly by the California Office of Emergency Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and SBA, in order to provide information and assistance to those who suffered as a result of the Tea Fire.

“At this stage of the recovery, the assistance emphasis is on the long-term needs of survivors. We believe the transition of the Santa Barbara DRC to an SBA DLOC will meet those needs,” said SBA District Director Alberto Alvarado in a prepared statement. SBA reps will be issuing the low-interest loan applications available and offering general information at the DLOC. SBA boasts that it has so far approved more than $5.7 million in loans to people whose homes or livelihoods have been negatively affected by wildfires in November.

Low-interest SBA disaster loans are offered to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private nonprofit organizations to repair or replace property damaged or destroyed by the disaster.