We’re sharing resources so business owners can find local assistance following recent weather events in the wake of tornadoes in Louisiana and wildfires in Texas.
We’re also sharing ways you can use Square as your point of sale as your community rebuilds after a natural disaster.
We hope you are safe and well.
Quick links:
Tornadoes: Red Cross Resources for Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas
Wildfires: Red Cross Resources for Eastland County, Texas
Accepting Payments and Square Support Resources
Tornadoes: Red Cross Resources for Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas
Red Cross Responds after Tornadoes - Find safety steps from the Red Cross as well as tips for Tornado safety, thunderstorm safety and returning home safely. If you are in need of shelter call 1800-RED CROSS.
To stay up to date visit redcross.org or follow Red Cross on Twitter:
- Louisiana: RedCross ARCLouisiana
- Mississippi: RedCrossMiss
- Oklahoma: RedCrossOK
- Texas: Central TX RedCross
Wildfires: Red Cross Resources for Eastland County, Texas
The Red Cross is providing ‘shelter, relief supplies like shovels, cleanup kits and sifters, critical information and recovery support with additional teams on the ground performing damage assessments in impacted areas’.
For more information follow North Texas Twitter NTX Twitter or visit RedCross.org.
Staying Informed
Stay informed online by following government agencies who frequently share updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms:
FEMA
ReadyGov
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Services like Nixle also send SMS alerts from local agencies for events like severe weather to missing persons.
Government and Non-profit Resources for Emergency Preparedness
- How do I Prepare my Business for an Emergency, Department of Homeland Security
- Prepare for emergencies, US Small Business Administration
- Preparing for a Disaster (Taxpayers and Businesses), IRS
- Preparedness Checklists and Toolkits, FEMA
- Red Cross Training
- American Red Cross Preparing for Disaster During COVID-19
Accepting Payments and Square Support Resources
Taking payments: If you’re unable to accept payment with your point of sale device, here are some alternatives:
- Create Online Checkout links to sell online without creating an eCommerce website
- send Square Invoices by email or by SMS
- Use Virtual Terminal to take payments from a computer or laptop.
Learn more about methods for touch-free and remote payments.
Donations: Accept donations with Square Online and offer eGift Cards so that your customers can support your business.
Internet: If internet access is temporarily unavailable, accept card payments using a mobile hotspot device or using your mobile as a hotspot device if possible. Alternatively, enable Offline Mode.
Note: Offline payments are processed automatically when your device regains connectivity, and will expire if not processed within 72 hours. Do not uninstall the app while in Offline Mode or pending payments will be lost. At this time it is not possible to use Offline Mode with the Contactless and Chip Card reader.
Power: The Contactless and Chip Reader, Square Stand, and Square Terminal can all last a business day without needing to be connected to a power source. Ensure you're getting the most out of your battery life by following these best practices: Charging and Battery Questions.
Accessories: Depending on your accessory setup, the cash drawer, printer, and bar code scanner may not work during a power outage. As a backup, you can send Digital Receipts to customers. You may also want to keep your cash drawer key handy or share it with an employee in case they need to make change. If you need a replacement key, locate the key code on the lock of your cash drawer then contact the manufacturer: APG or StarMicronics.
Square Capital: If you have a Capital loan and you have questions about your loan, contact our Customer Success team who can help you with the next steps.
Square Marketing: You can cancel marketing campaigns and certain campaigns.
Square Subscriptions: You have the option to pause your subscription to Square products. When you pause a subscription you will not be billed. You can restart your subscription at any time and pick up where you left off.
For additional Square Support and Response Resources visit our website.
