Resources for Tri-State businesses, nonprofits affected by Key Bridge collapse

Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
Updated ·3 min read

The Washington County Department of Business and Economic Development announced Monday it is working with the state to develop resources for businesses affected by the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, cutting off a lot of Port of Baltimore traffic.

The website for the Unified Command for the Key Bridge disaster response also recently posted information from the U.S. Small Business Administration about disaster loan assistance available. The Maryland disaster declaration from the bridge collapse includes all of Maryland and contiguous counties, including Franklin and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania and Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties in West Virginia.

There are hundreds of businesses in Washington County alone that rely on freight that comes through the Port of Baltimore, said Jonathan Horowitz, county's director of business and economic development.

The ship Dali is shown in the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship lost power and hit the bridge March 26.
The ship Dali is shown in the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship lost power and hit the bridge March 26.

There are direct port users in the county and even more companies in the county that use freight forwarders that do business with the port, Horowitz said.

“Volvo Group Trucks Hagerstown is currently rerouting a portion of our weekly container shipments to alternate ports as a result of the Key Bridge collapse," Communications Manager Susan Hale Thomas wrote in an email. "This change comes with additional costs per container but we are committed to maintaining our production schedule. We’re prepared to continue adapting our strategies to ensure our operations incur minimal impact."

Hale Thomas, in a phone interview Tuesday morning, said those shipments are imports of materials from around the world that go to the powertrain production facility north of Hagerstown where workers build engines, crankshafts, axles and other parts. Those parts are then sent to Allentown, Pa., where Mack Trucks are assembled, or to New River Valley, Va., where Volvo Trucks are assembled.

So far, the rerouting of materials is not slowing down operations, Hale Thomas said. But the company is paying extra to deflect those containers.

Among the major online retailers with operations in the Tri-State area is Amazon, which has distribution centers along Wesel Boulevard in Hagerstown and Crayton Boulevard north of the city.

Amazon spokesman Branden Baribeau said Monday that the online retail giant is "experiencing minimal impact in the Greater Baltimore Area and little to no impact outside of that area," which includes Washington County.

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SBA loans for companies, nonprofits affected by Key Bridge collapse

A large salvage operation is underway at the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major span over the Patapsco River in Baltimore that collapsed after it was struck by a Singapore-flagged container ship 'Dali'.
A large salvage operation is underway at the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major span over the Patapsco River in Baltimore that collapsed after it was struck by a Singapore-flagged container ship 'Dali'.

The deadline to apply for economic injury disaster loans through the Small Business Administration is Dec. 30.

The loans are to help eligible businesses and nonprofits "meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster," according to a Small Business Administration fact sheet. The law allows loans up to $2 million, though the actual loan amounts are restricted to the economic injury a business experiences, as determined by the SBA.

The interest rate for businesses and small agricultural cooperatives who don't have credit available elsewhere is 4%, while the rate is 3.25% for nonprofits without credit available elsewhere, according to the disaster declaration.

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Other resources for businesses affected by Key Bridge collapse

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 30: Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge as efforts begin to reopen the Port of Baltimore on March 30, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge, which was used by roughly 30,000 vehicles each day, fell into the Patapsco River after being struck by the Dali, a cargo ship leaving the port at around 1:30am on Tuesday morning. The bodies of two men who were on the bridge at the time of the accident have been recovered from the water; four others are still missing and presumed dead; two others were rescued and treated for injuries shortly after the accident. The Port of Baltimore is one of the largest and busiest ports on the East Coast of the U.S. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Washington County's Department of Business and Economic Development is working with the Maryland Department of Commerce "to develop resources to aid businesses and workforce impacted" by the disaster, according to a county news release.

While there's no public announcement yet about those resources, county officials encourage local affected companies to register for a daily conference call for information.

Businesses can sign up online through https://mdem.maryland.gov/Pages/psip.asp to participate in the Maryland Emergency Management Agency's Private Sector Integration Program (PSIP), according to the county release.

State agencies also are collaborating via https://mdta.maryland.gov/keybridgenews, which will have up-to-date information for private sector employers and workers, according to the county release.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Resources for businesses, nonprofits affected by Key Bridge collapse