California Storm Impact

Disaster Impacts to Businesses in Monterey County

Survey of Impacted Businesses – Monterey County Office of Emergency Services (OES) is reaching out to local businesses in the county that may have been impacted by the recent storms. The County is attempting to quantify the losses experienced by retail and commercial businesses across the County due to the recent storms.

If you are a local business that has experienced damages, please complete the survey by clicking this link.

Any questions or immediate assistance & resources feel free to have them reach out to

Richard Vaughn
Economic Development Manager
County of Monterey
168 West Alisal Street
Salinas, CA 93901
O: (831) 784-5602
C: (840) 234-9518
VaughnR@co.monterey.ca.us

SBA Stands Ready to Assist California Businesses and Residents Affected by the Severe Winter Storms, Straight‑line Winds, Flooding, Landslides and Mudslides

Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to California businesses and residents as a result of President Biden’s major disaster declaration, U.S. Small Business Administration’s Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced.

The declaration covers Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne counties as a result of the severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides that began Feb. 21, 2023, and continuing.

Read full News Release here.

Read the Fact Sheet here.

Lea aquí el Comunicado de Prensa completo.

Lea aquí la Ficha Informativa.

US Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance

Read “Getting Disaster Help from SBA – What You Need to Know” here.

Disaster Recovery Assistance – Read Media Alert Here

MONTEREY COUNTY LOCAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
Spreckels Veterans Memorial Building
90 5th St., Spreckels CA

Open 9:00 am – 7:00 pm Saturday 1/21/2023 through Thursday 1/26/2023

AGENCIES/DEPARTMENTS ON SITE

Federal Agencies
1. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
2. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
3. Small Business Administration (SBA)

State Agencies
4. Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
5. Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
6. Department of Public Health – Vital Records (CDPH)
7. Department of Insurance (DOI)
8. Employment Development Department (EDD)
9. Department of Social Services (CDSS)

County of Monterey
10. Ag Commissioner’s Office
11. Economic Development
12. Clerk-Recorder-Assessor
13. Health Department
• Environmental Health (water, food and other safety issues and hazardous materials)
• Behavioral Health
• Public Health

14. Resource Management Agency Land Use –
• Permits
• Planning
• Building
• Public Works (Encroachments)
• Environmental Services

External Entities
15. Mexican Consulate (Tentative)
16. Community Foundation for Monterey County
17. Non-Profit Orgs
• American Red Cross (Crisis Counselors)

Google Map link to the LAC: https://www.google.com/maps/place/90+Fifth+St,+Spreckels,+CA+93962/@36.6265991,-121.6487451,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808df81994e6aac5:0x19186accd057ff21!8m2!3d36.6265991!4d-121.6465564

Disaster Unemployment Assistance has been approved for those impacted by the damaging December and January storms – Read Media Alert Here

Californians in Sacramento, Merced, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and San Joaquin counties who have been impacted by the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that started on December 27, 2022, can now file for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA).

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) administers these benefits, which are available to workers, business owners, and self-employed individuals who lost their jobs or businesses, or had their work hours reduced or interrupted due to impacts brought about by the severe storms.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined that individuals who lost work or self-employment as a direct result of impacts caused by ongoing severe storms in the identified counties are now eligible to apply for federal DUA benefits. The FEMA approval is for FEMA-designated disaster area 4683-DR.

DUA applies to losses beginning the week of January 1, 2023, for claimants impacted by the storms. Eligible full-time workers and self-employed individuals can receive between $166 and $450 a week in benefits for a maximum period of 28 weeks. Part-time workers and self-employed part-time individuals may also be eligible for benefits. The last payable week of this emergency benefit ends July 15, 2023, as long as their unemployment or loss of self-employment continues to be a result of the disaster.

DUA benefits are offered to victims of a federally-declared disaster and are available to individuals who meet any of the following criteria:

• Worked or were a business owner or self-employed, or were scheduled to begin or resume work or self-employment, in the disaster area and lost work or had their hours reduced or interrupted due to the disaster. This includes, but is not limited to, those in the agricultural and fishing industries.
• Cannot reach work because of the disaster or can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment or self-employment as a direct result of the disaster.
• Reside in the major disaster area and cannot reach their place of work or self-employment outside the major disaster area due to the disaster.
• Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.
• Became the major support for their household because of the death of their head of household caused by the disaster.

Individuals must have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits, or do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits and remain unemployed as a direct result of the disaster. Also, the work or self-employment they can no longer perform must have been their primary source of income.

Applications for DUA benefits must be filed by February 22, 2023, unless the individual has good cause to file a late application.

In addition, to receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the day the DUA application is filed. Required documentation includes the most recent federal income tax form or check stubs, or other documentation to support that the individuals were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. Documentation for the self-employed can be obtained from banks, government entities, or affidavits from individuals having knowledge of their business.

EDD is required to first check to see if the applicant is eligible for regular state-provided Unemployment Insurance benefits before processing the claim for DUA benefits. The fastest and easiest way for new claimants to apply for DUA is to use EDD’s UI Online application, which is available in both English and Spanish.

Applicants can also get assistance at local job centers and Local Assistance Centers or Disaster Recovery Centers.

In addition, claimants can apply for DUA by phone between 8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays:

• English: 1-800-300-5616
• Spanish: 1-800-326-8937
• Armenian: 1-855-528-1518
• Chinese (Cantonese): 1-800-547-3506
• Chinese (Mandarin): 1-866-303-0706
• Korean: 1-844-660-0877
• Tagalog: 1-866-395-1513
• Vietnamese: 1-800-547-2058

EDD’s Disaster-Related Services webpage includes more information for individuals and businesses impacted by disasters, including tax filing extensions for affected employers. EDD also encourages individuals to visit the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services website for the latest information on Local Assistance Centers where individuals, families and businesses can access disaster assistance programs and services.

Job seekers can find the America’s Job Center of California^SM location nearest them for access to job-search resources, job postings and training programs, as well as assistance with exploring career options, résumé and application preparation, career development and more, at no cost to them. Job seekers also may connect with potential employers through CalJOBS^SM, EDD’s online job-search system.

The EDD administers the federal disaster-benefits program in California for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration, on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.