Business Assistance with Weather Disaster

The recent storm has very likely impacted our County’s business community.

Pierce County Economic Development Dept. is trying to assess the amount of damage.  If a specific threshold is reached at the county level, and also at the state level, certain federal programs may be made available to help assist the region recover. 

Please complete  this damage assessment form to tell them about damage your business incurred.  This is NOT an application for funds or a loan.  It is meant only to determine how much damage the County’s business community suffered.

Please call if you have any questions.  Completed forms should be emailed to Hans Kueck, Economic Development Specialist at hkueck@co.pierce.wa.us

Winter Storm Damage?

The Pierce County Emergency Operations Center today will begin collecting damage information from homeowners and business owners affected by this week's winter storm. Residents and business owners in Pierce County that suffered damage should call the Pierce County Damage Assessment Center at (866) 798-6363 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Callers should have the following information available: • Name and address of affected property • Contact information (cell phone, relatives phone number, "new" mailing address) • Type of insurance • A description of damage, even if uninsured • A personal estimate of uninsured losses • Estimates of the fair market value of the damaged home or business (it is not necessary at this point for property owners to have a contractor's estimate) The findings from this assessment will be used by the Governor to request a possible disaster declaration and federal disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The process could take up to a couple of weeks or more. FEMA disaster assistance, if and when it becomes available, only covers uninsured losses. Visit Pierce County's blog for up to date emergency information.

Power and Weather

Tacoma Power advises all to read the information below regarding current and future weather conditions as they pertain to power availability and precautions.

In the event of an outage, please turn off as much load as possible, especially any 3 phase units, so that the cold load is minimized when we do restore power. Leave some lighting on so you have an indicator as to when power is restored.

If you would like more information, the most direct route to information is to call Dispatch at 253-502-8602.

Is There Enough Windstorm Damage to Qualify to Aid?

As we do whenever Mother Nature throws a tantrum, we're looking for businesses that may have suffered damage or loss due to Monday's wind storm.

If enough damage is identified, Pierce County may qualify for state or federal disaster declarations, and the attendant small business aid that goes along with it. A minimum of five injured businesses is required to trigger the SBA’s EIDL program.

If you or hear of or talk with businesses in the next week or two that suffered economic loss due to the windstorm, contact Rob Allen, 253.798.6915, Economic Development Specialist, Pierce County.

"Resiliency in Times of Disaster" Summit

Last year, (and in previous years), the Chamber had worked with Pierce County on a disaster preparedness series for businesses. The Chamber's Frederickson, Parkland, Spanaway division feels the "Resiliency in Times of Disaster" Summit would be particularly beneficial for those businesses in unincorporated Pierce County areas.

The event is meant to help participants engage their public-private partners to build their disaster plan and ensure resilient communities - to "Be Ready. Be Connected. Be Resilient."

This FREE event is hosted by the Center of Excellence (COE) Homeland Security located at Pierce College in partnership with the Washington State Emergency Management, Seattle-King County Public Health and Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Center for Regional Disaster Resilience.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Clover Park Technical College
Sharon McGavick Conference Center
4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Building 23

Online registration available until May 18, Link Here

For more details, including the focus and objectives of the Summit, click here.

To view the flyer, click here.

Getting Small Businesses Past Disasters

You are all aware of the rough weather we have had lately. In reviewing weather data from November 14th through November 23rd, there is a potential for requesting an Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program for those businesses who have been hit hard by the storms.

From past conversations with the SBA we know the following.

The State of WA only needs to submit a minimum of five EIDL worksheets for the state demonstrating substantial economic injury to meet SBA’s EIDL declaration criteria. We will need at least one worksheet for each county that the State requests to be declared. In addition to the primary counties that SBA may declare, the contiguous counties would also be eligible.

Two documents to help you during this process. 1) The SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) FAQ sheet; 2) Estimated Disaster Economic Injury Worksheet for Businesses.

Now what do you need to do? Did you have roads closed that stopped people from getting to your business? How about the ferry that had to stop operation during the Gale force weather and you lost customers during that period? Or did the power outage stop you from even opening your door? This is economic injury! Fill out the form!

NOTE: Do not send the forms to the Washington Emergency Management Department. Doing so removes you from the information process and you may become unaware of what is happening.

Do send the forms to:
Rob Allen,
Pierce County Economic Development Department

The stronger we make our case to the SBA, the better it is for everyone. Remember, at least five businesses must complete the worksheet in order to request the program. Please note, the worksheets simply help establish that an economic injury has occurred. In no way does this mean that the business completing the form is applying for or is obligated in the future to apply for an SBA loan.

Here is some language from the federal rules regarding this program:

SBA makes an economic injury declaration in reliance on a state certification that at least 5 small business concerns in a disaster area have suffered substantial economic injury as a result of the disaster and are in need of financial assistance not otherwise available on reasonable terms. The state certification must be signed by the Governor, must specify the county or counties or other political subdivisions in which the disaster occurred, and must be delivered (with supporting documentation) to the servicing SBA Disaster Area Office within 120 days of the disaster occurrence. The SBA Administrator may, in a case of undue hardship, accept such a request after 120 days have expired.

Biting the Bad Bug Back

Health officials are warning of widespread outbreak of the H1N1 virus known as swine flu this fall, with peak outbreak predicted to arrive before October.

Earlier this year, the Chamber posted guideline documents that business, individuals and families and other organizations could use in planning for businesses' operations if public health mandates kept employees or customers away.

As the business liaison to the state’s Emergency Management Division, the Association of Washington Business (AWB) is working to provide health officials and emergency responders with critical input from employers about how this influenza outbreak could affect business in our state. For example, do you have the information you need to keep your doors open? What information do you want or need on this issue?

Please take a moment to complete this brief online survey. Your comments and suggestions will be shared directly with officials working to prepare our state in advance of a major flu outbreak. Employer responses will go a long way to assist the Department of Health in understanding business needs at this point in the planning process.

The survey closes at noon, Thursday, Sept. 3.

Business Planning for Pandemic Business Continuance

If you're paying attention to current events, you're aware of the increasing risk of exposure to the pandemic swine flu.

To assist you in business continuance planning, as well as your personal and family preparations, here are three resources to guide you.

Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist

Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist for Individuals and Families

Faith-Based & Community Organizations Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Checklist

All three checklists were prepared by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

To assist in Business Recovery Planning for business continuity, the Chamber is working with the Pierce County Dept. of Emergency Management and Harborstone Credit Union for a free workshop. Look to our website for details.

SBA Assistance for Snow Storm Economic Impact

The SBA offers disaster assistance to Washington small businesses economically impacted by the December snowstorms.

The Acting Administrator of the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA), today announced that the SBA is making low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans available to small businesses economically impacted by snowstorms in Washington that occurred from December 12, 2008 through January 5, 2009.

The declaration covers all counties in Washington and neighboring counties in Idaho and Oregon.
SBA’s disaster declaration immediately makes these low-interest disaster loans available to help small businesses and most private, non-profit organizations meet financial needs caused by the disaster.

Alfred E. Judd, Director of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center - West, said, This disaster declaration is a separate event from President Obama’s January 30 declaration for the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that occurred from January 6 through January 16 in eight Washington counties.

SBA is offering working capital loans of up to $2 million at an interest rate of 4% with terms up to 30 years. 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. These loans can provide vital economic assistance to small businesses affected by the snowstorms to help overcome the temporary financial impacts they are experiencing.

Folks can get help at the South Hill Mall Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). The DRC is located at Puyallup's South Hill Mall, inside the vacated Victoria's Secret storefront. The DRC will be open on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at noon until 7 p.m. and then Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m - 7 p.m., and on Sunday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. The center will remain open until further notice.

So, economic injury from the snow storms in December may be eligible for SBA low-interest loans. Get help also at register on-line or over the phone at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or go to the Disaster Recovery Center. The SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers will be open at the following locations on the days and times indicated.

FEMA Assistance for Flood Victims

Pierce County residents and businesses who were affected by the flooding in January can now apply to FEMA for damage assistance face-to-face at the Pierce County Disaster Recovery Center beginning tomorrow, Feb. 4, at noon.

The DRC is located at Puyallup's South Hill Mall, inside the vacated Victoria's Secret storefront. The DRC will be open on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at noon until 7 p.m. and then Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m - 7 p.m., and on Sunday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. The center will remain open until further notice.

Visitors to the DRC will find information on:
- FEMA and state disaster assistance programs
- SBA low-interest disaster loans and how to complete the loan application
- Smart building techniques to reduce damage from future floods
- Flood insurance
- Pierce County and other agency programs

Residents can also register on-line or over the phone at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

To expedite the application process either in-person or on-line, please have the following available:
1. Your Social Security number.
2. Current and pre-disaster address.
3. A telephone number where you can be contacted.
4. Insurance information.
5. Total household annual income.
6. A routing and account number from your bank (only necessary if you want to have disaster assistance funds transferred directly into your bank account).
7. A description of your losses that were caused by the disaster.