By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

MONTGOMERY—Governor Robert Bentley announced Shelby County and several neighboring counties have been approved for disaster assistance through low-interest rate loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

According to an April 25 news release, “the approval is based on continued damages” from flooding and storms in early April.

Pelham experienced severe flooding on April 7 after heavy overnight rainfall. The flooding impacted local business as well residential areas such as Chandalar Court, Creekview Drive and Greenpark South. Around 125 homes were damaged in the flooding, Pelham Mayor Gary Waters said.

A number of residents whose property incurred damages were surprised by the April 7 flooding. Alabama is one of only nine states that does not requires disclosure of flooding possibility when purchasing a house, Waters said, thus many affected were not protected by flood insurance.

According to Waters, more than 138 tons of debris was cleared from the city in the aftermath of the flood, a low estimate, as numbers from Pelham’s garbage vendor Trash Taxi were not included.

“Cleanup continues… and this assistance from the SBA will go a long way in helping our communities recover from the flooding in April,” Bentley said in an April 25 news release. “There is help available for homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations that suffered damage from the flooding. From the time the flooding began, to seeking today’s disaster declaration from the SBA, we have been working with affected communities and connecting them with any resource we can.”

For more information or to apply for SBA low-interest rate loans, call the SBA Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or at (800) 877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of earing, or visit the SBA website at Sba.gov.