You know what they say. If you don’t like Texas weather, give it ten minutes and it will change. The change part has proven, once again, to be true, but the historic artic blast that crippled our state last week far outstayed its ten-minute welcome.

A beautiful and hopeful sun now shines again, but for many, the impact of the storm remains a daily hardship. Portions of Gillespie County are still without power and water; and given the severity of damage to utility infrastructure, there are grim predictions it may take weeks to fully restore. The backlog of service orders created by broken water pipes and damaged electrical systems have service companies working around-the-clock to repair.

On Saturday, the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce put out a call to its members (and anyone else who can help) to compile a list of available temporary housing options for those in need of a stable and safe place to live until they can get back into their own homes. This past Monday, we published the first version of the list, which included short term rentals, hotel rooms, rental homes and a garage apartment. A link to the list may be found on the Chamber’s website homepage at www.fredericksburg-texas.com.

But more will be needed to satisfy demand. I hope our community will consider this as the time to pass on short term revenue to help others in need. It’s most certainly an issue of humanity, but the reality is that we must help the people who literally power our community’s economic engine – our workforce.

Gillespie County has been named an eligible county for disaster assistance by the Biden Administration, clearing the way for individual and business relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and access to business disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

For those with insurance, be sure to file any potential claims as quickly as possible. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. In either case, insurance or FEMA, it is best to begin by taking photos of your damaged business or home and make a list of any items lost.

For businesses or individual who are uninsured or for losses not covered by insurance, a FEMA application may be completed online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 or TTY: 800-462-7585. The phone lines operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT each day. Be sure to have your photos and list, along with your insurance determination letter (if applicable), documents proving occupancy or ownership and a photo ID.

The SBA has two, low-interest loan programs to assist businesses that incurred storm damage, beginning February 11, 2021. Physical Disaster Loans are available to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Private, non-profit organizations such as charities and churches are also eligible. The deadline to file for these is April 20, 2021.

Additionally, the SBA is offering Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which are working capital loans to help small businesses and most private, non-profit organizations meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. The deadline to apply for EIDL loans is November 20, 2021.

The SBA has established a Virtual Business Recovery Center and Virtual Disaster Loan Outreach Center, which can be reached Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EDT by calling 800-659.2955 or emailing FOCWAssistance@sba.gov.

Links to each of these programs, and the housing list, may be found on the Chamber’s website, www.fredericksburg-texas.com.