Yonkers Small Business. Robert Altman of Altman Lighting, SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano (L-R), Nov. 14, 2012. (credit: Paul Murnane/WCBS 880)
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) ? Waterfront businesses in Yonkers slowly pick up the pieces following flooding from superstorm Sandy.
Many business owners have begun the process of assessing the damage and looking to their insurance companies for help.
WCBS 880?s Paul Murnane reports
At Altman Lighting, the Hudson River storm surge came within a few inches of the factory floor. It blew through a garage door and flooded stock and materials in a storage building in Robert Altman?s company.
?We have flood insurance here, but they say it?s only for insuring the building, not contents,? Altman told WCBS 880?s Paul Murnane.
Small business officials toured damaged businesses and met with entrepreneurs in Yonkers on Wednesday, offering advice and assistance.
U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator Marie Johns said low-interest loans and other SBA aid can step in here.
?We have spent a lot of time working on streamlining our processes. From the time of application to getting the money in hand, it?s less 20 days,? she told Murnane.
Other small businesses that were inundated in the storm surge said the path the recovery will take some time.
?The saltwater destroyed all of the motors. We?re rebuilding them piece by piece because machinery takes a year and a half to two years to manufacture,? said Ron Shemesh of Excelsior Packaging Group.
For businesses looking for assistance in cleaning up and reopening after Sandy, the SBA website is one starting point and Johns said the agency is out at the FEMA centers that have popped up across the region.
There is also assistance available for small businesses on the state level.
?We have specialists who know what?s out there and what makes sense for a particular business, for a particular client,? said New York State Small Business Development Center regional director Tom Morley. ?We undaunt the process.?
Morley said filling out and filing all the paperwork is often the most frustrating part of the process, but said that is what small business experts can help with.
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