NEW YORK >> The Small Business Administration has run out of money for the disaster assistance loans it offers small businesses, homeowners and renters, delaying relief for people applying for aid in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to businesses and people affected by disasters. The SBA warned earlier this month that it could run out of funding, given the anticipated surge in claims from Hurricane Helene, without additional funding from Congress.

There are other disaster relief programs available, including assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, whose aid isn’t affected by the SBA shortfall.

Helene was a Category 4 storm that first struck Florida’s Gulf Coast on September 26, dumped trillions of gallons of rain and left a trail of destruction for hundreds of miles across several states. Hurricane Milton swept across Florida two weeks later.

So far, the SBA has received around 37,000 applications for relief from those impacted by Hurricane Helene and made more than 700 loan offers totaling about $48 million. It has received 12,000 applications from those hit by Hurricane Milton.

The SBA is pausing new loan offers until it gets more funding, which means loans that have not already been offered will be delayed by at least a month. SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said people should keep applying for the loans, however.

“We know that swift financial relief can help communities recover quickly to stabilize local economies.” Guzman said in a statement. She added that the SBA will continue to process applications so assistance can be quickly disbursed once funds are replenished.

The SBA said it could also be able to make a small number of new loan offers during this time, if it gets more funds from loan cancellations or similar actions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson assured there would be strong support to provide necessary funds — when Congress returns after the November election.

“There’s no question these devastating back-to-back storms have stressed the SBA funding program,” Johnson, a Republican, said in a statement. “But the Biden-Harris Administration has the necessary disaster funding right now to address the immediate needs of American people in these hurricane affected areas.”

The speaker has declined to recall lawmakers back to Washington to vote on aid in the aftermath of deadly hurricanes and declined to do so now. He said Congress is tracking this situation closely.

The SBA offers two different types of disaster loans. Business physical disaster loans are for repairing or replacing disaster-damaged property, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Economic injury disaster loans are working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations meet financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of a disaster.