ISSAQUAH, Wash. — City of Issaquah officials told KOMO News they will be working with businesses that have experienced hardship due to the “bomb cyclone,” damage from the storm, and power outages.
Thomas Rush, the city’s communications manager said “We know how challenging this situation is for our business community. From the loss of inventory, the cost of fuel for businesses utilizing generators, the cost of repairing damaged buildings, the loss of income from being closed, and the lost wages for employees. We’ve heard from various retailers, restaurants, and service providers that the loss of revenue during this critical holiday season is devastating.”
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Rush said FEMA and small business assistance resources need to be authorized at the federal and state levels. In the meantime, the city’s economic development team is working with businesses.
“The Mayor and ED team held a call with 85 business representatives to understand what immediate needs were and how best the City can support,” said Rush. “We are connecting businesses with existing business resources such as loan programs. We are encouraging businesses to keep track of expenses and losses by saving receipts and logging losses. We are also reminding them to review their business insurance policies for potential financial reimbursement.”
Rush said it’s important to check on your neighbors during this time.
“One local business, Ashley Hammond (Hammond Ashley) Violins, reached out regarding the damages at their location and need for assistance in supporting music instructors that rented space. Multiple organizations and companies responded and are working to coordinate a solution to allow these instructors to continue during the building reconstruction,” Rush said.
Rush also said they have a #IssaquahLoyal campaign centered around shopping locally which will be even more important now.
“Our community can play a vital role in helping our business community recover this holiday season. At the moment it’s challenging to calculate the economic impact to the community,” Rush added. “We are focused on critical city utilities, clearing roadways, and working with Puget Sound Energy to see power restored citywide.”
Eric Paschal who owns “Levitate Gastropub” on Front Street said, “I’ve already projected that we will be below target this year because we’ve lost a busy week traditionally,” he added, “the impacts on my team members. That’s the thing that is front and center of my mind.”
The lights came back on at Paschal’s business on Saturday afternoon. He told KOMO News it felt good to walk back inside and he was hoping to get the business back on schedule since they’d lost wages, tips, and income during the closure.
His next-door neighbor, Roberta Fuhr at “Experience Tea” said, “I was working in the dark in there, and then the lights came on and it was just glorious!”
Fuhr hopes people can visit to support struggling small businesses. “We really appreciate everybody coming down and shopping local. There’s great stores down here and restaurants.”
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.