Resources for Sellers Affected by Wildfires in the West and Hurricanes in the Southeast

[Helen]

Read our updated post: Resources for Sellers Affected by Wildfires in California and Oregon

Para leer esto en español, haga clic aquí.

This post was updated on 9/18/2020.

Many wildfires are continuing to burn in California and others have started in Oregon. In the South East, communities in Louisiana and Texas recovering from Hurricane Laura are also bracing for Hurricane Sally - residents in parts of Alabama,  Mississippi and Georgia are making preparations. 

We’re updating this post with resources so business owners can find local assistance. We’re also sharing ways you use Square as your community regroups and rebuilds after a natural disaster. 

Please click reply below to share any other resources that you’ve found helpful. Our thoughts are with everyone who may be impacted by these events and we hope you are safe.

Oregon Assistance  - Wildfires

• Visit www.disasterassistance.gov to find emergency shelter locations near you. 
• Download the FEMA Mobile App - Locate open emergency shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive real time-alerts from the National Weather Service and more, or call 1-800 621 FEMA
• Other Recovery Help - Information for businesses and other organizations.
• Oregon Fire Map, Oregon.gov
• Oregon Air Quality, AirNow.gov
• Oregon Wildfire Resources Oregon.gov 

California Assistance - Wildfires

• Visit www.disasterassistance.gov to find emergency shelter locations near you. 
• Download the FEMA Mobile App - Locate open emergency shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive real time-alerts from the National Weather Service and more, or call 1-800 621 FEMA
• Other Recovery Help - Information for businesses and other organizations.
• California Fire Map, San Francisco Chronicle 
• California Air Quality, AirNow.gov
• Love for NorCal: How you can donate + volunteer for local wildfire relief efforts

South East Assistance - Hurricane Sally and Hurricane Laura

• Visit www.disasterassistance.gov to find emergency shelter locations near you. 
• Download the FEMA Mobile App - Locate open emergency shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive real time-alerts from the National Weather Service and more, or call 1-800 621 FEMA
• National Weather Service - Hurricane Sally updates
• Mississippi Emergency Management Agency - MEMA 
• Hurricane Laura Recovery Information Louisiana.gov 
• Tracking Hurricane Sally's Path - CNN
• Other Recovery Help - DisasterAssistance.gov Information for businesses and other organizations.
• SWLA Economic Development Alliance 
• FEMA: Louisiana Tropical Storms Laura And Marco - Updates related to financial assistance will be shared on this page.
• Florida: Take the Business Damage Assessment Survey. This survey will help state officials to determine the extent of impact and the need for federal and state disaster assistance. FloridaDisaster.Biz

Government and Non-profit Resources for Emergency Preparedness  

• How do I Prepare my Business for an Emergency, Homeland Security 
• FEMA Emergency Agencies by state 
• National Weather Service
• Prepare for emergencies, US Small Business Administration 
• Preparing for a Disaster (Taxpayers and Businesses), IRS 
• Preparedness Checklists and Toolkits, FEMA 
• Preparedness Planning for Your Business, Department of Homeland Security
• Business Continuity Toolkit, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety 
• Important Disaster Preparedness Tips for Small Businesses, Chamber of Commerce.com 
• Red Cross Training and download a Red Cross App

Staying Informed

During emergencies local government agencies frequently post updates on Twitter and Facebook:

• FEMA: www.facebook.com/FEMA; twitter.com/fema
• National Weather Service: www.facebook.com/FEMA; twitter.com/NWS
• ReadyGov: www.facebook.com/readygov; twitter.com/Readygov
• American Red Cross: www.facebook.com/redcross; twitter.com/RedCross 
• NextDoor: Receive Emergency Alerts from public agencies 
• Services like Nixel send SMS alerts from local agencies for events like severe weather to missing persons.

Accepting payments and Square Support Resources

• Continue to take payments remotely - create Online Checkout links to sell online without creating an eCommerce website, send Square Invoices by email or SMS, or use Virtual Terminal to take payments from a computer or laptop. Learn more about methods for touch-free and remote payments. 

• Accept donations with Square Online and offer eGift Cards - you can now add a donation item type to accept donations on your website, or set up and sell eGift Cards so that your customers can support your business.

• 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. Learn more here: Process Payments with Offline Mode.

• 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.

• 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 still send Digital Receipts to customers. In addition, you may want to keep your cash drawer key handy or share it with an employee in the event that 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.

• 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.

• 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. We hope you’re safe and well.

[aarontw · Accepted solution]

Sharing some more resources for those affected by Wildfires. 

This PDF from America's SBDC has resources in English and Spanish available.