Lt. Gov. Urges Little Silver Business Owners to Register With FEMA

In every small town, there's a gathering spot where residents come together to shoot the breeze about what's going on in the community.

So when Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno wanted to get a read on post-Sandy recovery in Little Silver and get the word out about potential aid available to businesses, she headed to Ye Old Pie Shoppe on Monday.

Guadagno met with members from the community, including Councilman Don Galante, to discuss community block grants that may be available to business owners, but stressed that they must register with the Federal Emergency Managaement Agency by March 1.

Galante said that the lieutenant governor stressed that business owners won't be eligible for any available funding if they are not registered.

If any employees or business owners were out of work because of the storm they should file for disaster unemployment insurance. "There are no guarantees but she implied to us you should file ASAP even if the deadline is passed," Galante wrote in an e-mail.

Business owners can also apply for low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA).

"The sense we got from the Lt. Governor was that the money is available now that the president has signed the legislation, but to receive assistance you must apply," said Galante. "Although there are no guarantees, we will work to make sure people benefit from the above program which will help New Jersey move forward."