Most counties in the state of Washington, including Spokane County, have been designated disaster areas, which qualifies area business owners to apply for loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help cover costs caused by the fiscal impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pledged Tuesday that they are seeking a stimulus package that could exceed $1 trillion. In that figure is $200 billion to $300 billion to help small businesses.

But Melanie Norton, spokeswoman for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Seattle, said funding already is available for business owners who have had fiscal impacts caused by government-imposed closures because of coronavirus.

“We are getting a lot of calls from businesses about loans and resources we have available,” she said. “We are trying to get the word out of different resources we have.”

Norton said the SBA’s phones in Spokane and Seattle have received a flood of calls seeking information. The national website, where business owners can obtain applications, was shut down for a time on Monday from too much volume.

“Our phones have definitely been ringing off the hook,” Norton said. “Not just this week but definitely since the president made his announcement about SBA disaster loans.”

The government agency typically has provided low-interest loans during disasters, like Hurricane Katrina in 2005, that destroyed people’s homes. But it also administers what’s called Economic Injury Disaster Loans that are triggered once the president and a state’s governor declare a disaster.

The Washington counties in that disaster declaration include Spokane, Asotin, Adams, Benton, Franklin, Garfield, Okanogan, Whitman and Yakima, among several others to the west. Idaho counties include Benewah, Latah and Nez Perce. While Kootenai County was not on that list, Norton said she expects the list to grow.

The disaster loans, which charge 3.75% interest for up to 30 years, can provide as much as $2 million for a business, if it qualifies. The loans are only available to businesses that cannot obtain credit elsewhere. They are available for private businesses and some nonprofit organizations and small agricultural cooperatives.

“These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact,” SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza said in a statement. “Disaster loans can provide vital economic assistance to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.”

While Congress has yet to approve the final assistance amount, Norton suggested any business owners who believe they may need disaster loans to get the process started.

During normal times, the application takes two to three weeks for approval and another five days to disperse the funding.

Asked if the higher volume of calls would lengthen that approval time, Norton said she didn’t know.

“I have no reason to believe that would change,” she said of the loan-processing time. “They are still saying that’s the timeline.”