Town Hall Meeting, Outreach Center Will Help Conshohocken Fire Victims Apply for Federal SBA Assistance, PA Governor Rendell Says

    HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 22 /EMWNews/ -- Governor Edward G.

Rendell today said the U.S. Small Business Administration will open a

disaster loan outreach center on Monday to help victims of the Aug. 13 fire

at the Riverwalk at Millennium apartments in Conshohocken, Montgomery

County.



    "I made this request for emergency assistance less than a week ago.

It's great news to have this response from SBA and to have the outreach

center set up so swiftly," Governor Rendell said. Resources are now

available for fire victims in Montgomery County so they can get their homes

and lives back in order as soon as possible."



    The Governor said the center will be staffed by representatives from

various agencies, including the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency,

county emergency management officials, SBA, the state's insurance

department, health department for vital records replacement, and the

Department of Transportation - who will help with driver license and

vehicle registration replacement.



    Residents, business owners, and non-profits can obtain loan

applications and more information at the disaster loan outreach center,

which will be set up in the Montgomery County Fire Academy, 1175

Conshohocken Road. The center will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday

through Friday, until further notice.



    Individuals and businesses unable to visit the center in person may

obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA's customer

service center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired),

from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,

Saturday and Sunday. Victims may also email the customer service center at

[email protected].



    Business loan applications can also be downloaded at

http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Completed applications should be

returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration,

Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX

76155.



    In addition, SBA will conduct a town hall meeting for residents

affected by the fire at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25, at the Montgomery County Public

Safety Training Campus, 1175 Conshohocken Road, Conshohocken.



    Victims may now apply for disaster loans from SBA's secure Web site at

https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.



    More information on disaster assistance in Pennsylvania is available at

http://www.pema.state.pa.us; click on "Disaster Assistance and Updates" in the

left-hand column.



    The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public

education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing

economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out

more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly

newsletter, visit http://www.governor.state.pa.us.



    CONTACT: Maria A. Finn, PEMA



    717-651-2009