Small businesses face slow, difficult recovery after Ida

New York (AP) — Small businesses hit by Hurricane Ida face a slow and daunting recovery as they grapple with storm damage, a lack of power, water and internet service and limited ability to communicate with clients or customers.

It’s yet another blow for business owners who have been coping with the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic for over a year.

“Our fear is many businesses aren’t going to be able to recover, given everything else they’ve gone through for the past 18 months,” said David Chase, vice president of outreach for the advocacy group Small Business Majority.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power as Ida pushed through on Sunday into early Monday. Officials said some areas could be without power for weeks.

Experts say there are several ways for businesses to begin to recover from a disaster. First and foremost is making sure all staff and their families are safe. Then consider low-interest natural disaster loans from the government and insurance claims. The process could drag on for weeks if not longer.

“It’s a big storm, slow moving, and hitting a number of states,” said Todd McCracken, president of National Small Business Association. “The higher the number of claims, the slower response is going to be.”

For Bill Rau, the owner of M.S. Rau, an antiques business which has a gallery on Royal Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans, the biggest obstacle to recovery isn’t damage to the physical location. Instead, it’s the fact that without power and water, no one can tenably live in the city. He said most of his 62 employees in New Orleans have evacuated, spread out to 11 states.

The gallery survived Ida with minor leaks. Back in 2005, the warehouse sustained several million dollars of...