Haileyville-area residents seek SBA disaster assistance

May 22-- May 22--Marvin Lawson stood outside the Pittsburg County Civic Center in Haileyville on Wednesday, recalling how the tornado that roared through the area on the night of April 30 left his home severely damaged and some of his belongings scattered across his property.

"It destroyed my pontoon boat," the Haileyville resident said. The storm ripped part of the metal roof off his home and tore up an outbuilding, he said.

"It blowed my propane tank about 300 feet from the house," Lawson added. "It knocked the back glass out of my pickup."

On top of all that, "It destroyed 15 or 16 trees," he said. Other property damage occurred as well.

Lawson recalled the events as he prepared to go inside the Civic Center, also known as the District 1 County Barn, in Haileyville to complete an application to determine if he qualified for a federal Small Business Administration Disaster Loan.

He said this is his last chance, since no disaster aid said he been forthcoming for him and his family from anywhere else.

"FEMA didn't help," Lawson said. He had hoped for some type of disaster assistance from another agency, but that didn't happen, either.

SBA Office of Disaster Assistance Public Information Officer Michael D. Flores urged those with any type of damage resulting from the tornado and other storms that occurred beginning April 30 to stop by the Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Haileyille and apply.

They need to bring identification with them, such as a drivers license or Social Security card, or any other documentation if it's available, he said. Flores said the SBA realizes some items may have been lost in the storm.

"If they don't have it, we can direct them to other resources," he said.

Once an individual or family arrives at the Disaster Outreach Center in Haileyville, an SBA representative is available to assist them with the application process.

"We're going to walk them through it," Flores said.

The Disaster Outreach Center in Haileyville is set to remain open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays until it closes for good at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 6. It will be closed Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day.

SBA Disaster Loans are available to qualifying home owners, renters, businesses and nonprofits.

Up to $200,000 in low-interest loans are available to qualifying homeowners at a 1.9% interest rate.

Business loans are available at a 4% interest rate. The interest rate for nonprofits is 2.75%.

It's open to those with no insurance or who were underinsured -- and it's open to those with insurance as well.

"For those that had damage, we encourage them to come in and apply," Flores said. "We want this community to recover. We're here to help."

Normally, it can take from seven-to-21 days to learn if a disaster outreach application has been approved for a loan, Flores said.

Sometimes, the word comes more quickly.

Ella Mae Volland, of Haileyville, was one of the first to apply Wednesday for a Disaster Outreach loan from the SBA. She said the tornado damaged her home.

"Shingles were torn off; the skirting, the decking, the insulation underneath it," Volland said.

As she prepared to leave the Disaster Outreach Loan Center, accompanied by her great-granddaughter, Summer Lawson, Volland said she's already been told she would not qualify for an SBA low-interest loan. Volland said she lives on a fixed income and it was not enough for the SBA loan approval to pay for her needed home repairs.

Still, Flores said those on fixed incomes should not hesitate to apply for an SBA Disaster Loan. He said the situation could be different, depending on the circumstances. For example, even if an SBA loan is not approved for one thing, such as house repairs, it might be approved for another, such as lost property.

Another applicant for a SBA low interest loan sounded satisfied with the process. Sharon Konsure said she and several other families who live in a rural area near Haleville, were stranded at home when two creeks rose above the banks and flooded the road.

"Have you ever shopped for groceries by boat?" she asked. Konsure said her son, Alex Konsure, had used a boat to get groceries to her and some of the other families until the waters receded.

Konsure said she owns property, including two houses in Haileyville, that were damaged by April 30 tornado.

Flores wants word to get around that the SBA Disaster Outreach Center in Haileyville is open. While information is being dispensed in the usual way, he's also counting on other means of spreading the information, including word-of-mouth.

"Tell a friend. Tell a neighbor," Florez suggested. "We just want to help."

The SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Haileyville opened a day late, due to the tornado warnings and other severe weather in the area early Tuesday. Flores said SBA management made the decision -- not only for the safety of staff but to ensure no citizens were put in harm's way by trying to make their way to the site during the storm.

Flores is also working with the Atoka County Disaster Outreach Center at the Lane Baptist Church at 621 Ironstob Rd., with the Atoka County Outreach set to be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday, May 24, when it will cease operations at the site. An SBA Disaster Assistance Center for Bryan County has opened at Rock Creek Elementary School in Durant and is set to remain open on Mondays through Fridays until June 6, with the exception of Memorial Day.

Other counties where residents may apply for an SBA DisasterLoan are those contiguous to Pittsburg and Bryan counties, including Choctaw, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, Marshall, McIntosh and Pusmataha counties.

Meanwhile, Marvin Lawson said he's been unable to live in his home since the tornado struck. He said there's no electricity to the residence now, because the tornado damaged the meter and breaker box, and he's going to have to repair the breaker box himself before the electric company restores power.

Lawson and his 19 -year-old-son, Caleb Lawson, have been staying with a family member, while he tries to find if any kind of disaster aid might be available to him.

"If this don't happen... I don't know what," he said.

Contact James Beaty at [email protected]

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