Individuals hit hard by spring storms in Decatur, Gibson, Monroe, Posey, Vanderburgh and adjacent Indiana counties may now be eligible for government grants from the state disaster relief fund. A sum up to $5,000 in aid is available to those turned down for loans by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The government grants are for individuals that suffered damage from the storms April 19 through June 6.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security will contact those who will are eligible for the grant based on the information provided by federal officials. To apply first for the Small Business Grant or Administration loan, individuals and businesses should take one of these steps:

Call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at +1 (800) 659-2955 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday. People with speech or hearing disabilities should call +1 (800) 877-8339.

Visit SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

Download a paper application at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 14. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 12.

The State Disaster Relief Fund was created in 2006 to provide small business grants to individuals and governments affected by natural disasters when federal relief funds are unavailable. The fund is replenished through a 5 percent public safety fee attached to the sale of certain types of fireworks.