The owners of this restaurant at the corner of Washington Road and Pleasant Home Road are still not able to re-open. It’s been more than three months since Hurricane Helene ripped off its roof.
Whether there is serious or minor damage, organizers are calling all small businesses harmed by Hurricane Helene to attend an upcoming workshop and learn what help is available.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is organizing the Jan. 22 workshop.
The workshop is organized with help from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, the City of Augusta, the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Augusta Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
“When I was talking with Margaret Woodard, who’s the head of the Downtown Development Authority, she said that a lot of the small businesses downtown are definitely struggling, and since the hurricane with the Riverwalk closed down and usually being a slow time anyway, they’re especially hurting because there’s not as much tourism downtown,” Brian Beard, Public Affairs Specialist with the SBA Field Operations Center, told ABD.
“You look at downtown. The majority of downtown is small business,” Woodard explained. “You look at why we’re doing the micro-enterprise center to be a resource center for small businesses and to get upcoming entrepreneurs into bricks and mortar in Augusta. So, it just made sense that we would help get the word out, let our small businesses know that these loans are available.
SBA offers two types of loans for small businesses. One is the SBA Disaster loan that businesses can use to cover physical damage. It has interest rates as low as 4%. There is no interest charged or payments required in the first year of the loan. Those loans must be applied for by Feb. 7.
The other is the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). It covers a drop in sales income and will provide working capital to cover monthly expenses until businesses are back up to speed. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2025.
Woodard said those can be particularly beneficial for businesses that suffered no physical damage.
“Those who lost power had to replace all their refrigerated goods, number one. Number two, the water issue. They had to go through a special inspection to get back open. And I think the biggest challenge was the loss of revenue,” she said. “They need people in their stores. They need their cash registers ringing. We’re just doing whatever we can to remind people to come, shop, and support their small businesses.”
While this workshop is exclusively for small business owners, Woodard said it is open to any small business struggling, not just those in downtown Augusta. The disaster declaration covers 63 counties in Georgia.
Beard said business owners can learn more from SBA’s disaster assistance.
“Also, assistance from the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center at the SBDC. They have business consultants available throughout the state of Georgia, based in several other UGA campuses, including in Augusta and so we’ll have one of their business consultants there to tell the business owners about all the services they provide,” he said.
HOW TO APPLY
The Jan. 22 workshop will be held in the Linda Beazley Room of the Municipal Building, 535 Telfair St., from 2 – 4 p.m.
The workshop will be live streamed on the DDA Facebook page www.facebook.com/augustaDDA
There are several ways to apply without attending the workshop. Applications are taken online at www.lending.sba.gov or by calling or emailing the Customer Service Center at 2. 800-659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
Applicants can visit a Recovery Center in person to apply, check status, and ask questions. The list is available at www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance/recovery-center-locations
