Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Post

When disaster strikes, your immediate concern will be your safety and the safety of those you care about. Once the immediate danger passes, however, having your financial and medical records and important contact information will be crucial to help you start the recovery process quickly. Taking time now to safeguard these critical documents will give you peace of mind, ensure you have access to essential medical and prescription information, and help you avoid additional stress during the difficult days following a disaster. Here's a helpful guide to walk users through the steps in safeguarding critical documents.  https://lnkd.in/dvSFrbh #NationalPreparednessMonth #HurricaneHelene #DisasterRecovery #Nonprofit

As St. Mary Parish continues to recover from the impact of Hurricane Francise, small businesses and nonprofits play a crucial role in rebuilding our community. The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers critical disaster assistance that can help businesses of all sizes recover and rebuild stronger. Here are key resources from SBA to help you get started: 🔹 **Disaster Loans for Businesses and Nonprofits**: Businesses of any size and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, equipment, inventory, and other assets not fully covered by insurance. 🔹 **Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)**: Available to small businesses and nonprofits to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available even if no property damage occurred. 🔹 **Interest Rates and Terms**: Interest rates as low as 4% for businesses, 3.25% for nonprofits, and 2.813% for homeowners and renters. Loan terms can extend up to 30 years, based on financial condition. 🔹 **12-Month Deferment**: SBA offers a 12-month deferment on interest from the date of the first loan disbursement, with repayment beginning one year after disbursement. 🔹 **Deadlines**: Apply for property damage by **November 18, 2024**, and for economic injury by **June 16, 2025**. To apply, visit [SBA Disaster Loan Assistance](https://lending.sba.gov/). If you have any questions, please contact the St. Mary Economic Development office at 337-828-4100—we’re here to help with any concerns you may have. Let’s work together to ensure our small businesses and nonprofits get the help they need during this critical time. Please share these resources with anyone in need. #StMaryStrong #SBADisasterAssistance #SmallBusinessRecovery #EconomicRecovery #CommunitySupport

Sharing for visibility to SMB owners toward the mountains. For my friends with a network that way please like/share/spread the word. Join the NC Chamber for a free U.S. Small Business Administration webinar on Hurricane Helene recovery help. The webinar, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, will provide crucial information on available #SBA resources for recovery related to #HurricaneHelene. SBA experts will offer insights on accessing available resources and guide business owners through the application process. Businesses of any size within the declared areas, private nonprofit organizations, or residents affected by Helene can apply online or at the opened Business Recovery Centers (BRC’s) managed by SBA or Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC’s) managed by FEMA. It is recommended to initiate the application process without waiting for insurance coverage determinations or claims denials. The application deadline for physical damage is Wednesday, Nov. 27, and for economic injury is Monday, June 30. Eligible counties include: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and more, alongside the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. For more details and registration, visit: [https://lnkd.in/eXynXmcR

The storm has passed, but the impact remains. The Southern Georgia Black Chambers team is here to help communicate how to navigate the recovery process after Hurricane Helene. Our dedicated Hurricane Helene resource page provides essential information on: 🔘 FEMA Individual Assistance: Secure funds for temporary housing, home repairs, and essential needs. Apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. 🔘 FEMA Public Assistance: Grants for local governments and certain non-profits to aid in community recovery efforts. Learn more at fema.gov/assistance/public. 🔘 SBA Disaster Loans: Home and business loans to repair or replace damaged property. Apply at https://lnkd.in/eQ8EQkJ3. 🔘 IRS Tax Relief: Find information on tax filing and payment extensions for those affected by the hurricane. 🔘 Damage Reporting: Connect with your local Emergency Management Agency to report damages and access further support. Take Action: 🔘 Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/ezPEhK2g for detailed information and application links. 🔘 Share this post: Spread the word to help other Black-owned businesses access these vital resources. 🔘 Register and Apply for assistance during this process. #HurricaneHelene #GeorgiaStrong #BlackOwnedBusiness #DisasterRelief #CommunitySupport #Region11

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Below are some resources we found that may help if your business or non-profit was impacted by the storm: Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program: - $15 million available for small businesses impacted by the storm. - Intended to serve as a bridge until you can find a longer-term financing solution. - Short-term zero-interest loans up to $100k for agriculture businesses and up to $50k for all other small businesses. 👉 https://bit.ly/4eHtM6v SBA Disaster Assistance Loan: - Low-interest loans available to businesses of all sizes and non-profits - Can help with losses not covered by insurance, as well as operating expenses that would have been met had the disaster not occurred. 👉 https://bit.ly/4dwjRj0 Florida Commerce Small Business Damage Assessment Survey: - Helps the government assess damage and expedite recovery resources needed for small businesses. 👉 https://bit.ly/3TKZcRp

The storm has passed, but the impact remains. Our Chamber is here to help communicate how to navigate the recovery process after Hurricane Helene. Our dedicated Hurricane Helene resource page provides essential information on: 🔘 FEMA Individual Assistance: Secure funds for temporary housing, home repairs, and essential needs. Apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. 🔘 FEMA Public Assistance: Grants for local governments and certain non-profits to aid in community recovery efforts. Learn more at fema.gov/assistance/public. 🔘 SBA Disaster Loans: Home and business loans to repair or replace damaged property. Apply at https://lnkd.in/ebX4Y5q. 🔘 IRS Tax Relief: Find information on tax filing and payment extensions for those affected by the hurricane. 🔘 Damage Reporting: Connect with your local Emergency Management Agency to report damages and access further support. Take Action: 🔘 Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/e7KvSJ8T for detailed information and application links. 🔘 Share this post: Spread the word to help other Black-owned businesses access these vital resources. 🔘 Register and Apply for assistance during this process. #HurricaneHelene #GeorgiaStrong #BlackOwnedBusiness #DisasterRelief #CommunitySupport #Region11

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that Newport County is now included in the disaster declarations in Rhode Island for the severe storms and flooding that occurred on Dec. 17-19, 2023 and Jan. 9-13, 2024.   The disaster declarations cover Kent, Providence, and Washington counties in Rhode Island, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Bristol and Newport in Rhode Island; New London and Windham in Connecticut; and Bristol, Norfolk, and Worcester in Massachusetts. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e5mUxb53

Courtesy of the NC Chamber, we would like to share some resources for businesses that have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. ➡️ Making sure local requests for resources start at the county emergency operations center is key. This is critical to prevent duplication of efforts. Find your local contact here: https://loom.ly/ls0pH4s ➡️ U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans: It’s helpful to start the process as soon as you are able. You don’t have to wait for insurance coverage determinations or claims denials to apply for SBA programs. SBA loans are geared towards helping survivors recover with very low interest rates compared to the regular lending market and easy repayment terms. Learn more here: https://loom.ly/UKW5Od8 ➡️ Small Businesses Recovery: The U.S. Chamber Foundation’s National Disaster Help Desk can help businesses and organizations both in the impact area and looking to support the impact area. It can be reached at 888-MY-BIZ-HELP (or 888-692-4943). Additionally, they offer an online resource to help businesses take care of their employees’ needs, communicate the impact, address financial matters (e.g., insurance, disaster assistance), restore operations, and organize recovery. Learn more here: https://loom.ly/Jpr8rvI

Emergency Funding Available for WNC The Community Foundation of Henderson County has established three funds to support the relief and recovery from Hurricane Helene. Funds will be used to make grants to support short- or long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts. Each fund has a slightly different focus: Disaster Relief, Recovery, and Rebuild - supporting Henderson County and surrounding areas. WNC Disaster Relief - supporting the WNC region Disaster Recovery for Lake Lure and Chimney Rock - supporting some of the hardest hit regions, Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. * * * The Mountain BizWorks nonprofit in Asheville said it is creating a small business lending program to assist recovery from Tropical Storm Helene, with $7.5 million funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation. The program entails bridge loans of as much as $100,000 aimed at “providing critical relief to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.” The loans will have a 1% interest rate and interest-only payments for 12 months. If not repaid in the first year, the loans will convert to a term loan. Mountain BizWorks and program partners hope to secure more funding in coming days and weeks. This program is designed to assist businesses that will be working to apply for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan or other commercial loan, but that have more immediate needs for capital. #HeleneAssistance #WNC #NorthCarolina #HurricaneHelene

Interesting report here from ClaimGuard.org suggesting that Southern California is less prepared for natural disasters than any region in the country, with four of the larger counties (LA, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange) projected to spend $7 billion on disaster-related damages this year. While cost is a big reason for a lack of preparedness according to the report, being prepared not only saves lives. It also saves money! In fact, according to the Pew Charitable Trust, every $1 spent on mitigation and preparedness saves $6 in recovery costs.    No matter what, emergencies are going to happen. There’s no benefit in ignoring risks and hoping you can figure things out after disaster strikes. There are plenty of benefits to emergency preparedness, and it’s something federal and local governments should prioritize to prevent costly consequences. https://lnkd.in/ehrsbyEm