FEMA registration and SBA disaster loan deadlines extended

Business owners affected by superstorm Sandy will have until March 29 to apply for low-interest loans from the federal government, after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday morning that the deadline for Sandy victims to register for assistance had been extended.

The previous deadline to sign up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster grants and apply for Small Business Administration disaster loans -- which had already been pushed back twice -- was Wednesday.

Last week, the SBA said that it had approved more than $1 billion in low-interest loans to homeowners and business owners affected by Sandy in New York State. Long Islanders received more than half of the total loan amount, having been approved for roughly $566 million in loans.