Flood 2024 and Your Business…We’re Here to Help

August 28 Update

NEW INFORMATION

We have new information from the State and from the SBA to share with you:

From Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD):

Grant funding will be available for properties damaged by 2023 and/or 2024 flooding. 

BEGAP Portal is OPENING THURSDAY, AUGUST 29:

We recommend that you go to their page for ALL INSTRUCTIONS:

https://accd.vermont.gov/BEGAP

Read all information carefully and have all materials prepared before you begin the application process.

From ACCD’s Severe Storm Resource Center:

Presidential Disaster Declaration

On August 20, President Biden approved Governor Scott’s request for a FEMA major disaster declaration for storms that took place July 9 – 11, 2024.

This declaration does not include damage caused by storms on July 30, 2024. A separate FEMA major disaster declaration request will be made soon for that storm. 

Here is the fact sheet for that Declaration:

https://mcusercontent.com/a8d0be0bc432c2b45eaf19e6c/files/df7a9440-e3e5-5c37-0733-1c00867f83a5/2024_08_20_VT_20478_Fact_Sheet.pdf

SBA Loans for Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration is making available two loan programs to businesses in the following counties that suffered damage on July 9, 10, and 11.

Physical Damage Loans

• Addison
• Caledonia
• Chittenden
• Essex
• Lamoille
• Orleans
• Washington

Deadline to apply is October 21, 2024.

Economic Injury Loans

• Addison
• Caledonia
• Chittenden
• Essex
• Franklin
• Grand Isle
• Lamoille
• Orange
• Orleans
• Rutland
• Washington
• Windsor
• New Hampshire: Coos and Grafton Counties
• New York: Clinton, Essex, and Washington Counties

Deadline to apply is May 20, 2025.

Applications for disaster loans may be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal or other locally announced locations. Please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center by email at or by phone at 1-800-659-2955 for further assistance.

Please contact your VtSBDC Business Advisor for any questions, and for guidance if you move forward with a disaster loan application. If you are not yet a VtSBDC client and are seeking advice, please email us at sbdc@vtsbdc.org  We are here to help.

We hope this message finds you safe. At VtSBDC, we recognize that your personal safety comes first, and we encourage you to take care of yourselves, your family, and your personal property before addressing your concerns about your business.

Once you are ready, we want to let you know that all of us at VtSBDC are poised to provide you and your business with support.

At VtSBDC, our experience with the Floods of 2023, Tropical Storm Irene, and the aftermaths of these events led us to identify and share the first steps that you should take if you have experienced a flood event at your business:

1. Clearly your safety and the safety of your staff is most important. If you do not have a phone/email/chat tree to keep your staff in touch, create one today. Even when the water event subsides, you will want to have a quick way to connect with your staff.
2. As much as you want to go in and check on the situation, do not enter your location if there is flooding. But do take many pictures from a safe distance.
3. Call your local insurance agent. Do exactly as they direct.
4. Begin DOCUMENTATION related to step #2:
   1. Take pictures of everything you do from this point forward.
   2. Keep a running narrative of every action you take.
   3. Begin to estimate the cost of the damage.
   4. Also make sure to keep all of your financial data up to date and backed up.
5. If your business suffered damage from the most recent flooding, please report it to 211. You can do that by calling 211 or reporting it online. Here is the link to the business damage form. It is important to call 211 and report damage even if it is minor or you are not seeking any assistance. Why? Because the State must meet a threshold of damage in order to apply for a Federal Disaster Declaration. That Declaration allows your neighbors and your town to receive assistance from FEMA. And it allows any of your business neighbors to apply for low interest loans if they so desire. Without the data the State cannot support a request. Additionally, calling 211 allows the State to add to the data it collects for long term mitigation and planning.
6. The State is updating flood information and resources on a daily basis. We encourage you to visit https://accd.vermont.gov/flood and sign up for updates. They are also requesting victims of both of the July flooding events to complete the Department of Economic Development’s Flood Damage Survey for Businesses. This will further aid the relief and recovery response as they seek to capture the type and scale of the flood-related damage businesses suffered in our communities.
7. If you are a VtSBDC client, stay in touch with your business advisor to ask questions, and to keep up with accurate and timely information.

Very importantly, try to pause and not take any other steps until the danger has passed, and we can help determine the next steps. During the Floods of 2023 and Tropical Storm Irene, we saw some actions that were taken too quickly, causing more harm in the long run. So please pause and remember that along with our state and community partners, we are here to help.

We are in touch with federal and state agencies and will keep you updated as the flooding and its aftermath impact Vermont. We will share accurate, timely, actionable information during and after this flood event.

Stay safe.

Click here for  the VtSBDC Disaster Recovery Guide for Business

VtSBDC first developed this guide while working with Vermont businesses after Tropical Storm Irene and updated the guide during the 2023 floods. It will direct you through the steps as you consider how to proceed post-disaster.

It can also be used in conjunction with your local VtSBDC Business Advisor, who is ready to help you walk through all of the steps. Or, if you choose not to work with an advisor, it is set up so you can do the steps by yourself. We have also created digital versions of the guide’s highlights in many different languages.

We hope you find it helpful.

Important Information from ACCD:

Mental Health Help

Flooding is extremely traumatizing. Some people are experiencing losses for the second or third time in a year.  Here is some advice for taking care of yourself during this difficult time from Vermont’s Mental Health Commissioner Emily Hawes:

• Stay informed, but limit news exposure. Take media breaks to protect your mental health.
• Rely only on trusted sources for information.
• Keep in regular contact with family and friends.
• Acknowledge your feelings. Anxiety, fear, and a sense of helplessness are normal.
• Prioritize self-care including getting enough rest.

There are also several hotlines available if you need to talk to someone:

• You can access Starting Over Strong Vermont by calling 211.
• Dial 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline which will connect you to someone locally.
• 800-985-5990 is the national Disaster Distress Hotline.