Tag Archives: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Collins vows to help rebuild Harpswell waterfront during visit

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, vowed to help secure funding to rebuild Harpswell’s storm-damaged working waterfront during a visit to the town on Saturday, Jan. 20. Collins, who visited Henry Allen’s Seafood on Lookout Point and two other heavily damaged sites on Bailey Island, called the destruction “heartbreaking.” “I want to do everything that I can to try to secure assistance, working with the governor, with the local community, with the rest of the (congressional) delegation, in order to assist these families in their time of need,” Collins said before a group of lobstermen and other waterfront workers and advocates during her visit. “The devastation is incredible.” phootos, more, >>click to read<< 07:15

Florida commercial fishermen could get $200 million in aid

Florida’s commercial fisheries, hit hard by Hurricane Irma, should pull in a $200 million boost from the two-year federal budget passed last week. The $200 million will be included as funding for the “catastrophic regional fishery disaster for Florida” in the proposed $300 billion increase in the federal budget, Florida U.S. senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio announced. Part of that federal money could go toward ongoing trap-recovery efforts, Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association executive director Bill Kelly said Monday. >click to read< 19:29 

Rockport seafood business bouncing back after Harvey

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about 40 percent of small businesses never open their doors to customers again after a disaster. Alby Godinich, owner of Alby’s Seafood, is determined that won’t happen to his historic Rockport-Fulton business that has been open since 1983. “We have lost a lot of money, I can tell you this. But hey, we are going to come back, we will come back,” said Godinich. Godinich lost thousands and thousands of dollars of retail inventory and most of his equipment was damaged during the storm. “We just reopened here a while back. We were shut down for five or six weeks. It will probably be a month or two to make up for what we have lost and everything, you know,” said Godinich. click here to read the story 13:58

Small business works to return after Harvey

Hurricane Harvey brought destruction to Crossroads businesses, stealing all the inventory of many and leaving others with collapsed structures. About 40 percent of small businesses never open their doors to customers again after a disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Mary and Kevin Nevarez, owners of Evelyn’s Seafood Market, are determined that won’t happen to the iconic Port Lavaca business that has been open on the bayfront since 1942. “As far as everything inside … it’s completely shattered,”  The couple applied for a Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loan because FEMA doesn’t offer funds to businesses click here to read the story 14:59