INDIANAPOLIS | Gov. Mitch Daniels on Monday took action to request a disaster declaration for Lake County from the U.S. Small Business Administration .

The same benefits would be available to the adjacent counties of Porter, Jasper and Newton.

The request for SBA assistance stems from serious damage sustained to homes and businesses as a result of severe storms and a tornado last Monday. The town of Griffith was heavily impacted by a tornado, while other parts of the county received torrential rainfall, flooding and high winds of up to 90 miles per hour.

Officials from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Transportation arrived shortly after the storms hit and are working with local officials to provide assistance and assess damage.

The minimum damage requirement for SBA loan assistance is 25 homes and/or businesses damaged in a single county with at least a 40 percent uninsured loss. Once the request is received, a team of SBA, IDHS and county officials verify damage during a field assessment. SBA then determines if a disaster declaration will be granted.

If the declaration is granted, low-interest loans of up to $200,000 could be available to homeowners, private businesses of any size and nonprofit organizations whose property was damaged or destroyed by the storms. In addition, up to $40,000 may be available to homeowners and renters to repair or replace damaged personal property. In both cases, the SBA disaster loans can be made only for damages not covered by insurance.

For businesses only, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loans assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

The state has not requested federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Based on