When Carl Froshour’s property where Spurlock Road meets the Tombigbee River south of Columbus was inundated with 18 feet of floodwater in February, the waters receded within a week.
The after-effects did not.
Tons of silt still blanket the property nearest the river, including the boat ramp — known as the Nashville Ferry Landing — and four of the 11 campsites he operates on his 4.2 acres.
Eight months later, he’s still trying to recover.
“Right now, I’m still not sure what’s going to happen,” said Froshour, 63. “It’s a mess.”
In February, Froshour was wading through floodwater. Since then, he’s been wading through bureaucracy.
“At first, I went to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to see if they could they could help me get the property cleaned up and the boat ramp and campsites repaired,” Froshour said. “They told me that (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers had an agreement to remove the silt. But when I went to the Corps, they said there was no agreement to do that.”
Fortunately, for Froshour and others affected by the Feb. 23 tornado in Columbus and flooding across the state that spanned weeks during the winter, there is another option.
Last week, Froshour reached out to the federal Small Business Administration, which has set up a temporary office at the East Columbus Gym on Lawrence Drive.
The SBA, along with FEMA, has been operating a Disaster Recovery Center at the site since Sept. 27 and will continue to accept applications through Oct. 31.
Although no data is available specifically for Lowndes County, the SBA has approved $1.7 million this year in low-interest disaster relief loans statewide.
“It’s been a little slow so far, but I think you’re going to see the number of applications and loans being processed pick up,” said SBA Public Affairs Specialist Mary Gipson. “A lot of people are still getting estimates and trying to figure out their options.”
To accommodate that expected increase in applications, Gipson said the deadline to apply for loans related to physical damage has been extended to Nov. 19. The deadline for loan applications to cover economic injury (primarily for a loss of business caused by the storms) has been extended to June 26, 2020.
“We want to give people plenty of time to get in their applications,” Gipson said. “We’re really encouraging people to come in, talk to us, fill out and application and see if we can be of assistance.”
SBA offers disaster relief loans to nonprofits, homeowners and renters in addition to small business owners.
Small businesses can apply for loans up to $2 million at 4-percent interest with a term of 30 years, Gipson said.
For loans up to $25,000, no collateral is required, Gipson said.
“Above that, there is some collateral, but you don’t necessarily have to have a certain amount,” she said. “Our loan processors will work with the business owner. And if the loan is denied, there’s an appeals process. If a business owner can’t secure a loan through SBA, they can often go to FEMA to apply for a grant (which doesn’t require repayment).
‘I’m not sure how far I want to go’
For Froshour, the damage done to the boat ramp is as much as much a blow to the public as it is to him personally.
“This is not really something I’m doing for my livelihood or for my retirement,” he said. “When I bought the property, I decided to put in some campsites. The boat ramp was an amenity for the campers, but I also wanted the public to have access to it, too. There’s really not any other boat ramp the general public has access to around here. ”
In addition to the silt, Froshour said the flooding washed out some of the asphalt and shifted some concrete.
“I had an estimate, for $28,000, but it was only for cleaning up the silt,” he said. “It didn’t cover removal or repairs to the asphalt and concrete. I’m still trying to get a good idea of what all that would cost. I had hoped to get enough money to fix the boat ramp and repair the four campsites, but I’m beginning to doubt if I can get the campsites back. Now, it’s more of a matter of the boat ramp.”
Froshour said he’s been pleased with his dealings with the SBA, but he’s still not sure what he will ultimately do.
“It looks like whatever loan I’ll get I’ll have to put up collateral,” he said. “As much as I’d like to get the boat ramp repaired so people can use it, I’m just not sure how far I want to go.”
District 3 Lowndes County Supervisor John Holliman, whose district includes the area along the river in the southern part of the county, said many property owners are still dealing with the silt left behind by the flooding.
“The thinking was that since the waterway is part of the Corps of Engineers, they would be cleaning it up, but so far they haven’t made it down our way,” Holliman said.
Holliman said Froshour’s boat ramp also affects the county.
“That’s where our emergency responders and wildlife department put in (their boats),” he said. “It’s definitely something we have an interest in.”
Gipson urges small business owners, nonprofits, homeowners and renters to visit the Columbus office and begin the application process.
“We understand the situation,” she said. “We do everything possible to make the process as expeditious as possible. But a lot of that depends on people coming in and starting an application. We can’t do anything until that happens.”
For information on SBA disaster relief loans, people can also call 800-659-2955 or visit www.DisasterLoan.sba.gov.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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