Bridge Collapse Aid Coming To Baltimore-Area Workers, Businesses
BALTIMORE, MD — Economic assistance is coming for those affected by last week’s Baltimore bridge collapse.
Workers can file for unemployment insurance. Emergency relief for employees is also under consideration. Businesses can get low-interest, long-term disaster relief loans.
“Baltimore’s road to recovery from this unthinkable tragedy will be long, but we will get through it together,” Mayor Brandon Scott (D) said in a statement. “We are mobilizing every resource and agency available to help deal with the fallout of the Key Bridge collapse and will continue to do so until the entire Baltimore region overcomes the impacts.”
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The Maryland Department of Labor created an unemployment insurance hotline for affected workers. Applicants can call (667) 930-5989 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. They can also file a claim at beacon.labor.maryland.gov/beacon/claimant-page.html.
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Lawmakers are also scrambling to pass relief money for Port of Baltimore employees out of work.
That legislation, named the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade Act, is working through the Maryland General Assembly. The bill, also called the PORT Act, faces a speedy deadline because the legislative session ends on April 8.
State Sen. President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said his legislation would:
Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Saturday announced the business loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The loans help overcome the temporary loss of revenue stemming from the March 26 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The aid can be used for normal operating expenses that can’t be paid because of the disruption.
Loan support offices opened Monday, days after the Key Bridge collapse killed two and left another four presumed dead.
The offices are located in Dundalk at Dundalk Renaissance Center (11 Center Place) and in Baltimore City at CareFirst Engagement Center (1501 S Clinton St, Suite 100).
The offices, dubbed Business Recovery Centers, are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are closed on Sunday.
The centers will remain open until further notice.
The deadline to file loan applications is Dec. 30.
More information is posted at lending.sba.gov and sba.gov/disaster. Applicants can also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected].
“Baltimore County stands ready and we continue our work with federal, state and other local partners to support all those impacted by the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski (D) said in the release. “Together, we are now providing access to the resources our local, small businesses impacted by the economic disruption of this disaster need. We continue to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, the Moore-Miller Administration, and all our partners for their tireless efforts to ensure our neighbors have the support they need so that we can weather this crisis together.”
Read all of Patch’s Key Bridge collapse coverage here.
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