To our clients and partners,
Our hearts go out to all those who have lost homes, property, revenue and much more in this disaster. We are standing in this recovery effort with you. For those impacted as business owners, we know it can be daunting to know how to respond in the aftermath of such a disaster and even where to start.
To simplify your business recovery effort we have put together a list of resources and agencies to contact if you need more information and understanding regarding benefits that may be available to you pertaining to taxes, extended filing deadlines and unemployment insurance benefits. Please see attached PDF’s with information on the above.
Most immediately, we’re advising impacted businesses to do four things:
1. For business technical assistance, including access to capital, contact our Small Business Development Center, 805-409-9159,
alondra.gaytan@edcsbdc.org. We will also be a point of contact for information and referral for other Small Business Administration and FEMA assistance for business as it becomes available. We’ve added a link to our website,
http://edc-vc.com/ for direct client registration for services and links to other resources. We’ll be adding to this regularly as additional state and federal resources become available.
2. Business Insurance: If you’ve had any interruption in service or lost sales, immediately inform your insurance agent and request a copy of your policy to determine whether you have any coverage. You may or may not be covered, but for accessing any future disaster assistance, it may be critical that you’ve made and exhausted any insurance claims.
3. Unemployment: If you—as a self-employed person—or any of your employees has lost work, immediately file or advise your workers to file for unemployment insurance. Be sure to indicate the first date of lost work and clearly state that the fire is the cause for the loss.
Click for information on how or where to file for unemployment insurance.
4. Register for information at
http://venturacountyrecovers.org/. Also, for access to a comprehensive set of services and information, we recommend you check in at the Local Assistance Center, in Ventura at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road, Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Sunday, 9:00 to 4:00. There will also be a satellite center open in Ojai, starting Monday, at 401 South Ventura Street, 8:00 to 5:00. We will have Small Business Development Center representatives at these sites on a rotating basis.
We are hoping for a strong economic recovery and are committed to providing assistance and immediate support. We wish you the best of joy and prosperity in this holiday season.
Sincerely,
The EDC-SBDC Team
