Depending on the severity of the event, delayed economic recovery of the affected area could be as disastrous as the property losses. In addition, with most of the jobs in the private sector being created by small businesses (some reports indicate up to 80 percent), access to Federal and State programs becomes vitally important to these small business owners. The consensus is that the larger, national and international companies doing business in the affected area of an event will have staff personnel who are familiar with ways to tap into emergency funding programs.
Many small businesses, particularly in rural parts of the state, provide essential support services that will be needed as part of public efforts to assist areas recovering from an earthquake. A small business could be as ordinary as a gasoline station or a community grocery store.
Develop informational packets and practical guidelines on the small business application procedures, and business planning for disaster response and recovery; distribute this information through public awareness and education programs and extension services. Recommend to the Federal government that a streamlined approach be used for loan applications during the post-disaster period.