T’bonne businesses consider post-hurricane recovery plan
May 11, 2010Thursday, May 13
May 13, 2010Lafourche Parish Government announced last week BP is looking to hire vessels to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico.
Owners of charter, shrimp or oyster boats are encouraged to contact program Managing Contractor Vince Mitchell at vince.mitchell@lamor.com or (425) 745-8017 and BP Coordinator Grant Johnson at grant.johnson@bp.com.
Interested fishermen should include their boat’s name, owner, dimensions, length, draft, horsepower and any other pertinent information in their e-mail or call.
Directions and training will be provided and determined by area response plans based on the highest priority areas on down.
Current staging areas include Venice, Mobile, Ala., Biloxi and Pascagoula, Miss., and Pensacola, Fla.
BP can be reached regarding oil spill related damages and loss of income. They’re toll-free hotline is (800) 440-0858.
Low-interest loans available
If local residents need financial assistance in a hurry, the Small Business Administration (SBA) opened a Business Recovery Center at the South Lafourche Public Library Monday. The center will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
These low-interest loans are expected to help businesses connected primarily to the seafood industry.
SBA is offering working capitol loans of up to $2 million at an interest rate of 4 percent with terms up to 30 years.
“With the region still recovering from previous devastation and the national recession of the last could years, it’s critical that we take every step we can to provide small businesses with resources to make it through this latest crisis so they can continue to drive local economic growth and provide good-paying jobs,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said.
These loans can be used by small businesses unable to obtain credit elsewhere to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the oil spill’s impact.
SBA encourages businesses to file claims with BP.
For more loan information, call (800) 659-2955 or apply online at https://www.sba.gov.
The loan application deadline is Feb. 7, 2011.
Lost your job?
Help is on the way
The Louisiana Workforce Development Commission will be setting up a Mobile Career Unit in Lafourche Parish later this week to assist residents who are out of work due to the oil spill.
It will provide assistance for job seekers, assistance with unemployment claims, and will have information on available social services such as food stamps and Medicaid.
The site of the mobile unit was unavailable at press time.
Information on the service is available at www.laworks.net or by calling the Louisiana Workforce Commission Satellite Office at (985) 446-3016.
