Zooming in
When Seabrook’s popular floating bar, Barge 295, sunk into Clear Lake during Hurricane Beryl, owners hoped to open up the restaurant’s yard area to generate revenue to pay for repairs and keep their staff employed.
Carly Robinson, whose family owns Barge 295, asked Seabrook City Council on July 16 to allow the business to reopen so that it can continue serving the community and employing its staff.
Co-owner Patrick Robinson confirmed July 18 his family’s business had over 30 employees unable to work.
“Because our business was impacted, all of our employees are being forced to find new jobs since we’re not allowed to open in a limited capacity,” Carly Robinson said July 16.
Jordan Applebe, pastor of the Saltwater Revival Pirate Church, which meets on Sundays at Barge 295, urged city officials at the meeting to allow Barge 295 to reopen its land section.
“As of Hurricane Beryl, we are displaced,” Applebe said. “We don’t have a place to come together and worship. We’re asking that the city grant a temporary variance to allow the [restaurant] to use temporary restroom facilities to facilitate operations in the yard, which, other than minor cleanup, was not affected by the hurricane.”
In other parts of the Greater Houston area, Tony’s Italian Delicatessen, which has locations in Spring and Montgomery, announced in a social media post on July 9 that it would only serve “cold subs.” However, the Spring location had to close July 10 when the business’s generator broke.
On July 14, Belly of the Beast in Spring announced on social media that its power had been restored after six days. In the post, the New American restaurant said it had “lost most of our inventory” and would only be able to resume dinner service the following week.
What you need to know
President Joe Biden declared Hurricane Beryl a major disaster on July 12, making Texas businesses eligible for low-interest federal disaster loans, according to a U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA, July 12 news release.
“SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help Texas’ small businesses and residents impacted by Hurricane Beryl,” administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said in the release. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities recover and rebuild.”
Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofits may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets, according to the news release.
What else?
On July 18, Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones and the SBA will host an informational event at 6:30 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 816 Roy St., Houston to inform area business owners about disaster relief loans they could be eligible for.
The two types of loans to be discussed are:
- Business physical disaster loans, which are loans available to businesses and private, nonprofit organizations to repair or replace disaster-damaged property
- Economic injury disaster loans, which are working capital loans used by small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and private, nonorganizations to meet financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster
The application deadline for filing for physical damage is Sept. 10 and for economic injury it’s April 14, according to SBA documents.
One more thing
Whether small businesses consider a federal loan or a private loan, Barry McMahan bank office president at Agility Bank recommends having all the necessary documents on hand when beginning the process.
“Additionally, make sure you have your financials ready to present to your banker,” McMahan said. “Know your credit score, organize your assets and liabilities, and compile your bank statements and income tax statements. The application and approval process will be more efficient.”
