ATKINSON Comm. — Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and former Georgia U.S. Senator, took a tour Friday to see the devastation caused by Hwy. 82 Brantley fires.
Loeffler, who met with Brantley County officials and state representatives earlier May 15, voiced hers and the government’s committment to the disaster.
“This fire was a fast-moving fire, really unprecedented in this state,” she said. “The reason we’re here, from the SBA, is the SBA is the government’s largest federal disaster recovery agency. We’re not a response agency, we work on recovery, so we’re hear to listen and assess the situation.
“It’s really important to me, as someone who grew up in a rural community in a small town, that we make sure no disaster is without federal attention.”
Joining Loeffler at the press conference was Chris Stallings, Associate Administrator of the SBA. He reiterated the agency was there to conduct assessments to “make a better decision on how we can support the state and this recovery effort.”
Georgia Senator Mike Hodges also joined the visit to the site. He described the scene as “such tragedy.”
“Now that the fire’s over, almost over, and (they’re) assessing damages, we expect to get the same type of help in our recovery,” Hodges said. “Mrs. Ginger (Hunter) and the other residents here have a long road to recovery.”
Loeffler went on to explain the SBA’s role in recovery — consisting of offering long-term, low-interest rate loans for not only business owners, but also home owners and renters. For businesses, loans can be up to $2 million; $500,000 for homeowners; and $100,000 for renters.
“We have a very streamlined application process that is in the field, very hands-on,” Loeffler said.
Stallings added the SBA response will have teams coming in to work with victims in developing a plan.
Residents are returning to pick up the pieces of homes and businesses. Hunter is one of those residents, having lost both her home as well as her business, the Wedding Chapel at Covenant Acres.
Additionally, her daughter also lost her adjacent dress shop in the blaze. Hunter has begun to clear the rubble on her home property, before she will shift her attention to the chapel.
“This is the first time we’ve got some equipment brought out to begin sorting through, because it’s so many layers, and so many piles of debris, frames, metal and stuff like that,” Hunter said. “So, we’re starting there,. Then we’ll move to this (business) side, but we’ve got to establish home first, because you can’t be homeless.”
There was one complaint Hunter voiced about the lack of direct communication with politicians and leaders concerning recovery.
“No one has come and said ‘What do you need?’,” said Hunter. “‘Tell us what you need, get us a list.’ People, the community, one-on-one, yes, but nobody who has any say-so, you would think, has actually been here.”
Hunter stressed she does not want the Brantley fire victims to “fall to the wayside, and to be dismissed, because we need help.”
Hunter thanked Loeffler and Stallings for visiting.
“I’m so thankful they spent time and were able to come from D.C.,” she said. “They’ve given me their contact information. If I just had somebody specific to reach out to, at least when there’s questions that arise. They’re here, hopefully, to help us.”
As for when loans and relief will be made available, Stallings explained the process. Following the completion of damage assessments, the governor’s office will file a request for aid and funds from the federal government, which will come from departments like FEMA and the SBA. These organizations will then set up disaster loan outreach centers.
“We understand this is a significant event and timing is important,” Stallings said. “For Mrs. Ginger, we can’t be fast enough ... we understand. But, there is a process to ensure we are doing it correctly.”
