DISASTER RELIEF FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

 

The Office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is here to assist you and your business in
this time of need. If your business has sustained damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy, there are
multiple programs and assistance packages from several different government and non-profit
organizations that might be available to assist you in recovery.

 

A list of the programs available is below. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to
Kai Feder at (718) 802-3642 or kfeder@brooklynbp.nyc.gov for more information.

 

 

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

 

FROM THE CITY

 

Emergency loans for small- to mid-sized businesses and non-profits are currently available through
the New York City Department of Small Business Services (NYC SBS).

 

• These loans are capped at $25,000
• They are interest free for 6 months, and 1% APR thereafter
• They are available for businesses and non-profit organizations
  
  

For more information, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/nycbiz/html/contact/manager.shtml, or call
the Brooklyn NYC Business Solutions Center, which is run in partnership with the Brooklyn
Chamber, at 718-875-3400.

 

For mid- to large-sized businesses that need to undertake rebuilding, an emergency sales tax
letter from New York City Industrial Development Authority (IDA) will be available allowing
businesses to avoid payment of New York City and New York State sales taxes on materials
purchased for rebuilding. IDA will also waive all fees and, while following State law, look to
streamline its normal procedure. This program is expected to offer economic benefits to
reconstruction projects costing $500,000 or more. Please contact Shin Mitsugi at
smitsugi@nycedc.com for further information on this program.

 

 

FROM THE STATE

 

In conjunction with the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the New York Bankers Association (NYBA) and the New York Business Development Corporation (NYBDC) are establishing a $10 million small business emergency loan fund to provide immediate financial assistance for businesses impacted by Sandy. Small businesses in affected communities will be eligible to receive loans of up to $25,000 that will be interest- and payment-free for the first six months and then at one percent interest for the following two years. Businesses are able to apply for loans of up to $25,000 immediately by going to www.esd.ny.gov or calling 1-855-NYS-SANDY.

 

FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

 

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides two types of disaster loans to
businesses:

 

Physical Disaster Loans: Businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations may apply
for a Physical Disaster Loan of up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged real estate,
equipment, inventory and fixtures. These loans will cover uninsured or under-insured losses. For
more information, please visit http://www.sba.gov/content/business-physical-disaster-loans or call
800-659-2955.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small
businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes suffering
substantial economic injury may be eligible for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan of up to $2 million
to meet necessary financial obligations – expenses the business would have paid if the disaster
had not occurred. For more information, please visit http://www.sba.gov/content/economic-injury
-disaster-loans or call 800-659-2955.
 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) grants relief to taxpayers who are victims in a federal
disaster declaration area and has produced the Disaster Resource Guide for Individuals and
Businesses to help businesses better understand how one can claim unreimbursed casualty losses
on property that was damaged or destroyed in a disaster. To access the guide, please visit
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2194.pdf.

 

Prior to applying to any of the disaster programs above, one must register with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at http://www.disasterassistance.gov or call
800-621-FEMA (3362).

 

 

OTHER ASSISTANCE

 

GENERAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is offering assistance to businesses in several capacities,
including: temporary space placement, recovery counseling, assistance in accessing relief benefits
and more. For information on their services, visit http://www.ibrooklyn.com/sandy or call
Andrew Steininger, Vice President of Economic Development, at (718) 875-1000 x137.

ACCESSING FEDERAL SBA LOANS

 

The New York State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides post-disaster
consulting services free of charge and helps businesses access federal assistance programs. For
more information, please call 718-797-0187.

SBDC advisors can assist with the following:

 

DEALING WITH INSURANCE COMPANIES

 

The New York State Department of Financial Services assists businesses in dealing with complaints
when filing claims with individual insurance companies. For more information, please visit
http://www.dfs.ny.gov or call 800-339-1759.

 

Crain’s New York Business has published a brief guide highlighting tips for filing post-Sandy commercial property claims. For more information, visit http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121109/SMALLBIZ/121109890#ixzz2Bk7f8lRs

 

 

TEMPORARY SPACE NEEDS

 

For any business that is temporarily displaced from its space, short-term "swing" office space at
Brooklyn Army Terminal is available free of charge for the month of November. NYCEDC has
approximately 40,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Terminal that can be used for this
purpose. To access this benefit, please call the Brooklyn NYC Business Solutions Center at 718-875-3400.

 

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR WORKERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS

Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits are available from the New York State Department of
Labor for those whose jobs were impacted by the hurricane. This assistance includes people not
normally eligible for unemployment benefits, such as self-employed persons and farm workers.
For more information, visit http://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/claimantinfo/disaster-unemployment-
assistance.shtm or call the Telephone Claims Center (TCC) at 1-888-209-8124.

MATTERS CONCERNING THE DEPARMENT OF BUILDINGS

OTHER EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

 

For any business in need of other emergency assistance, the SBS Business Outreach Team and
Emergency Response Unit’s Large Scale Response Team has been deployed to help all impacted small
businesses. This team is currently on-call for any storm-related business inquiries and is closely coordinating
with the NYC Office of Emergency Management. To access this benefit, please call the Brooklyn NYC
Business Solutions Center at 718-875-3400.

 

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS

For businesses experiencing problems with Internet access, many of Brooklyn’s Internet service
providers have set up service alerts. Business hotline contact information for applicable service
providers are also listed below.

Cablevision
Hurricane Sandy Issues: http://optimum.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3563
Business Customer Service Hotline: 1-866-575-8000

Time Warner Cable
Hurricane Sandy Service Alert: http://www.twcbc.com/NYC/HelpSite/alert_hurricane
_sandy.html
Business Class Service Hotline: 1-877-227-8711

Verizon
Hurricane Sandy Update:
http://www22.verizon.com/support/smallbusiness/internet/fiosinternet/general+support/top+
questions/questionsone/130288.htm
Business Customer Service Hotline: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) and select the Technical
Assistance option
24/7 support for Business Internet services: 1-888-244-4440 or 1-888-649-9500

Optical Communication Groups (OCG)
Hurricane Sandy Update:  http://newsblaze.com/story/2012110605004600005.mwir/topstory.html
Contact number: 718-326-4340

OTHER TECHNOLOGY RELATED ASSISTANCE
NY Tech Meetup is organizing technology professionals to provide assistance for small businesses, organizations, schools, and non-profits impacted by the storm. Please visit http://bit.ly/ScCCsT, or email jessica@nytm.org for more information.

ANY OTHER ASSISTANCE NEEDS

 

Please contact Kai Feder at the Office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz: 718-802-3642
or kfeder@brooklynbp.nyc.gov.

 

PLEASE NOTE: In order to qualify for disaster relief assistance, New York City must estimate the storm's
total effect on city residents, businesses and employees. All damage should be reported by calling 311
or online at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/nycsevereweather/damage_form.shtml