MIDDLETOWN >> As the victims of the Valley Fire attempt to keep their lives afloat, some face a dual crisis — ensuring the survival of their small business.
At a recovery meeting featuring the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Association outside the Middletown Senior Center on Wednesday, many business owners were given relief information and asked questions about their recovery options.
“People are concentrating on taking care their personal issues, then their business,” attendee John Carlisi, the head of non-profit called the Neighborhood Development Collaborative, said. “Business owners have to both at the same time, which is difficult.”
To assist with the disaster, the SBA is offering low-interest disaster loans to local businesses, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters.
According to SBA Public Information Officer Susheel Kumar, businesses may receive loans up to $2 million dollars at a statutory maximum of 30 years. The loans are standard and have an interest rate of four percent.
“Our job is to protect the tax base, keep employment where it is, and help business owners thrive,” Kumar said. “Part of the messaging is having people apply for the process.”
He and the other speakers that followed him had the same message: to apply for assistance with FEMA and the SBA before the deadlines. Owners that sustained physical damage to their business have until Nov. 23 of this year and businesses that suffered economic injury, or not being able to fulfill financial obligations, need to apply by June 22 of 2016.
Economic injury could be felt right away because most of the customer base has been displaced, Carlisi told the Record-Bee. His group focuses on work force housing, or those who make 60 to 100 percent of the median income level.
“One of the dual-edged swords in a rural community is that you have a lot of repeat customers,” he said. “That gets you to know your customers, but it gives you a limited base of them.”
To register for the loan, all business owners must register with FEMA first and then the SBA. It can be completed online or at the two disaster recovery centers: the Middletown Senior Center or near the Safeway at 14860 Olympic Drive in Clearlake.
