WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Francisco Sanchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance, will visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from July 24 to July 30, to help raise awareness for disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Sanchez will meet with mayors, emergency managers, SBA resource partners such as Small Business Development Centers, chamber officials, FEMA, and other stakeholders to discuss how best to prepare Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for their next disaster.
“As we enter the most active period of the hurricane season, it is important for residents and small businesses to remember that the best course of action to limit damage from natural disasters is preparing before the disaster hits,” Sanchez said.
When in Puerto Rico, Sanchez will attend a ceremony Wednesday, July 27 to discuss the approval of a $1.75 million disaster loan to Cooperativa de Vivienda La Ceiba, a non-profit cooperative housing property in Ponce, that was damaged in a recent earthquake. The injection of SBA funds in addition to insurance is important to the economic recovery and stability of the community.
Sanchez accepted his position with the SBA in January 2022. Before the SBA, Sanchez served as Deputy Homeland Security and Emergency Management Coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, leading strategic development, planning, public affairs, and community preparedness initiatives for Texas’ largest county. Under his leadership, the county responded to historic hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and major industrial incidents -- averaging a presidentially declared disaster every nine months.
Since 2015, Puerto Rico has experienced Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Tropical Storm Isaias, earthquakes, severe storms, flooding, and landslides, and in response, the SBA has approved $2,044,415,300 in disaster loans. The residents and businesses of the U.S. Virgin Islands were approved for $542,030,500.
As climate change gains momentum, natural disasters are not just more devastating; they are also coming faster, more frequently, and are often changing rapidly in their complexity and scope.
SBA’s website offers suggestions for assessing risk and creating a disaster plan for your business at sba.gov/prepare. Here are a few ways businesses can prepare for disasters:
- Establish a communications plan and subscribe to local emergency management alerts.
- Protect vital information in the cloud.
- Review insurance coverages and consider business interruption insurance and take a video inventory of property and assets.
- Complete facilities and operations planning; consider e-commerce solutions or temporary alternative locations to resume operations quickly and evaluate supply chains.
- Engage in pre-disaster contract development opportunities.
- Practice and test your plan with managers and staff.
FEMA’s Ready.Gov site provides comprehensive information, checklists and more, to help business leaders and households prepare for a variety of hazards.
As the anchors of our communities, small businesses rely on resilient neighborhoods for their customers and their employees and the SBA’s disaster loan program help communities recover swiftly. The SBA’s disaster loan program is the only federal assistance program that provides private property owners an affordable way to mitigate disaster impacts.
Building back smarter and stronger can be an effective recovery tool for future disasters. Eligible SBA disaster loan borrowers may choose to receive expanded funding to help prepare their home or business for future disasters. SBA disaster loans can be expanded up to 20 percent of their
SBA-verified losses to protect in the future against the same type of disaster.
For example, mitigation projects to prevent hurricane damage might include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, bracing or upgrading to wind-rated garage doors, upgrading to pressure-rated windows, installing hurricane roof straps, and installing a safe room or storm shelter.
Businesses, non-profits, and homeowners can learn more about their SBA mitigation options at sba.gov/mitigation.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
About the SBA Office of Disaster Assistance
The Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA) helps businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters recover from the devastation caused by federally declared disasters. Their efforts ensure that adequate and affordable financial assistance is rapidly extended to those in need. The disaster loan program is the only form of SBA assistance not limited to small businesses. Disaster Assistance has been part of the agency since its inception in 1953. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov/disasterassistance.