Rubio Questions SBA's Disaster Assistance Preparedness

As Floridians continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the state looks to slowly open the economy back up in a manner that is both healthy and productive. However, with the coronavirus still posing a threat to society and the economy at large, hurricane season is just around the corner.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, asked Jovita Carranza, the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, to provide information on the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance preparedness to respond to potential natural disasters that could arise in the upcoming months in advance of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season that is set to begin on June 1^st.

In a letter directed to Carranza, Senator Rubio wrote that “the federal government has a significant role in preparedness, response, and recovering from natural disasters for all Americans impacted, no matter the origins.”

Furthermore, he asserted that “we must ensure that all proper resources will be available and dispersed to the citizens of our nation in a timely manner.”

In the letter, Senator Rubio asserted that “the Small Businesses Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance and its loan program serve as an important lifeline for individuals and small businesses impacted both physically and economically as the result of natural disasters.”

And, he noted that “while the SBA ODA resources are currently being directed to assist small businesses that have suffered economic injury due to COVID-19, it is imperative that this work not detract from the Agency’s preparedness to respond to potential natural disasters that could arise in the upcoming months.”

Governor DeSantis (R) announced at the end of April that Florida would be re-opening in a very "small, limited, and methodical" way, but now Floridians have to make the proper accommodations to withstand any possible hurricanes that might hit land in the next upcoming months.