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MIAMI, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding homeowners, renters and businesses that December 5 is the deadline to file physical disaster loan applications for damages from Hurricane Rita that occurred September 20, 2005. Homeowners, renters and businesses that sustained physical damage in the declared County of Monroe and contiguous counties of Collier and Miami-Dade in the State of Florida are eligible to apply. "Insurance seldom covers all the costs associated with repairing or replacing property damaged by a disaster. We do not want anyone to miss out on the additional help SBA can provide through our low-interest disaster loan program," said Frank Skaggs, Director of SBA Field Operations Center - East. "Individuals and businesses that were affected by Hurricane Rita may use any of the Disaster Recovery Centers in the area open for Hurricane Wilma Victims. Our staff will be glad to answer any questions about the disaster loan program, give you an application, and provide any extra help you may need or want in completing your application," Skaggs added. SBA offers loans up to $200,000 to repair disaster damaged primary residences. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to replace personal property such as furniture and clothing. Loans to businesses of all sizes and non-profit organizations are available up to $1.5 million to repair damage to real estate, machinery, equipment and inventory. Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are also available to small businesses unable to pay bills or meet operating expenses because of the disaster. Interest rates can be as low as 2.687 percent for homeowners and renters and 4.000 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based upon each applicants financial condition. "Contiguous counties are eligible because they are adjacent to one or more primary counties in the State of Florida. SBA recognizes that disasters dont usually stop at the county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included," said Skaggs. Applications and program information remain available by calling the SBAs National Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 or 1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired. Business loan applications can also be downloaded from the SBA website at http://www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, National Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Ft. Worth, TX. 76155. The deadline for returning applications for physical damage is December 5, 2005; the deadline to return economic injury applications is July 5, 2006. For more information about the SBAs Disaster Loan Programs visit our website at http://www.sba.gov/disaster