After a Business Interruption

What businesses should do after the storm

After a Business Interruption 

Reentry

• Once the governor rescinds the mandatory evacuation order, the Horry County Emergency Management director will activate the Reentry Plan.
• Ensure all of your employees are safe.
• Do a damage assessment of your property as soon as you can safely get to it. 
• What if my building is damaged? Check with your insurance company before doing any repairs! Be sure to document with pictures and video all of the damage done to your inventory, equipment and building.

Flood Insurance

• Report a flood insurance claim by contacting your agent or insurance company.
• Tips for Filing Your Flood Insurance Claim
• NFIP Flood Claim Process
• National Flood Insurance Program for Home and Business

Hire a Contractor

• Contractor Fraud Checklist - Contractor fraud often increases after natural disasters. This simple form will help ensure that disaster-impacted communities recover from disaster in a prompt, efficient and predictable way.
• If the county has implemented contractor certification, make sure that your chosen contractor has a County Certification picture ID that indicates they have applied for and received a county or city certification for construction after a disaster. 
• If the county has not implemented contractor certification then complete the contractor fraud form with your contractor and check their license status. 

Debris Removal

• Solid Waste Removal and Recycling Services in Horry County - List of waste hauler/recycler services.
• If you live or work on a county maintained road, the county will come and pick up your debris from damage done by the disaster. It needs to be sorted by type of debris (glass in one can, wood in one pile, appliances in another, etc.) and brought to the curb.

Communications After a Business Interruption

• Texting will often go through when calls won’t so try texting.
• Because of how calls are routed from different area codes, a cell phone with an out of town area code will often work when other phones won’t. 

Other Recovery Resources

• Help the Grand Strand - The funds collected for the "Help the Grand Strand" disaster recovery fund will be used for human services that are currently unmet, enabling the residents of the entire Myrtle Beach area to recover as quickly as possible.
• U.S. Chamber Small Business Recovery Guide - When a disaster occurs, businesses must take care of their employees' needs, communicate the impact, address financial matters (e.g., insurance, disaster assistance), restore operations, and organize recovery.
• U.S. Chamber Disaster Help Desk - Offers one-on-one expert assistance to small business owners before, during and after a disaster strikes.
• U.S. Chamber Resilience in a Box - Features a toolbox of resources to educate newcomers on disaster preparedness and business resilience.
• S.C. Emergency Management Division - Website provides a list of various federal agencies with programs to help you recover from disasters.
• U.S. Small Business Administration - SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes to repair or replace damaged or destroyed business assets (property, equipment, inventory, etc.)
• FEMA - FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.
• U.S. Economic Development Administration - EDA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have funds to be used for establishing local, post-disaster revolving loan programs.
• IRS - Offers tax relief to businesses affected by federally declared disasters.
• U.S. Department of Labor - Fact Sheet: Employment & Wages Under Federal Law During Natural Disasters & Recovery - The Fair Labor Standards Act is the federal law of most general application concerning wages and hours of work. The FLSA requires employers to pay covered, non-exempt employees no less than the federal minimum wage for each hour actually worked and overtime at one and one-half times an employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours actually worked in excess of 40 in a week. These requirements are not subject to waiver during natural disasters and recovery efforts. For questions about payment of wages following a natural disaster, call 1-877-872-5627. 
• DisasterAssistance.gov - Disaster Assistance Improvement Program’s mission is to provide disaster survivors with information, support, services and a mechanism to access and apply for disaster assistance through collaborative, data-sharing efforts between federal, tribal, state, local and private sector partners.

Additional Resources

Check out this list of member businesses offering planning/recovery resources