After a destructive storm in May brought torrential rain to New York City and left parts of Queens underwater, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng thanked the Small Business Administration (SBA) for assisting local residents and businesses through its temporary Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Oakland Gardens.

While the site closed yesterday after two weeks of operation, Meng encouraged any other residents impacted by the floods to submit physical property damage applications, with a deadline of Aug. 31, and economic injury applications, with a deadline of March 30, 2027.

Under the SBA’s disaster loans, homeowners can apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence, homeowners and renters can seek up to $100,000 to replace or repair their personal property,and businesses and nonprofits can apply for up to $2 million in working capital through Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

Applicants can also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955, or email DisasterCustomerService@SBA.gov for more information. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability can dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

Meng visited the outreach center on Tuesday and thanked SBA personnel who were available at the temporary site at Council Member Linda Lee’s office in Oakland Gardens. They answered questions and helped individuals apply for low-interest disaster loans available to homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits.

Meng sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which funds the SBA and all other federal government agencies and includes resources to help bring this type of financial assistance to Queens. She said with the help of Lee, she and the Council Member have worked to secure millions of dollars to address the impacts of the disaster.

“Queens deserves relief for the damage sustained from excessive flooding, and I thank the SBA for working to help those in our borough who have been affected,” Meng said. “Our communities need to be assisted and also be adequately protected from future storms.”

Lee noted that these flooding disasters are nothing new to Queens, and the borough has experienced the devastating impacts of stormwater flooding for the past several years.

“These events highlight the urgent need for infrastructure investments that strengthen our city’s resilience against flooding,” she said. “I remain committed to working alongside my state and federal partners to protect our communities and mitigate the effects of these severe storms.”

Matt Coleman — the Atlantic regional administrator at SBA who oversees the federal agency’s operations throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — said the SBA continues to maintain a presence in Queens following the severe weather and flooding that occurred on May 20.

“All New York City and Nassau County small businesses and residents that were impacted by the federal declared disaster are encouraged to apply,” Coleman emphasized. “The SBA appreciates the partnership of our federal, state and local stakeholders to ensure all those impacted apply securely online here.”

For more information about the loans, visit SBA.gov/Funding-Programs/Disaster-Assistance.