AS SMALL BUSINESSES FACE FIRE DEVASTATION AND TRY TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET, A VARIETY OF AID EXISTS

The fires in California have been devastating for many small business owners and others who saw their homes, businesses or livelihoods go up in smoke.

Raquel “Rockey” Smeir startedMy Friends Café in Sierra Madre, California, in 2021. While the fires spared her building, she dealt with power outages, the mandatory evacuation in the area of staff, customers and the entire community. When she got back to the building, she had to deal with lost revenue, spoiled food and a devastated community.

“Many people may not realize the significant financial strain that a small business like ours faces when dealing with unexpected events,” she said. “With payroll, rent, and taxes due, the loss of inventory and revenue from being closed for nearly a week can be financially devastating.”

While private fundraising has proliferated on sites like GoFundMe and elsewhere, there’s also a variety of aid at the national and local levels for small business owners and other affected by the fires. A freeze on federal loans and grants was announced on Tuesday, but it is unclear if that applies to disaster aid. Applications for disaster aid are still available on the Small Business Administration’s website.

The SBA did not return a request for comment.