Slidell business owners weigh options following tornado

Jordan Lippincott
·2 min read

SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — An emergency declaration has been signed by Gov. Jeff Landry to assist cities and parishes affected by the April 10 severe weather.

Among the cities to receive assistance is Slidell, where a tornado made landfall.

Alisha Smith’s business, Nu’Me Salon, once located at the corner of Pontchartrain Drive and Kostmayer Avenue in Slidell, was destroyed in the tornado.

Smith is now dealing with the financial obligations of opening Nu’Me Salon’s new location down the street at 3769 Pontchartrain Drive.

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“I just had to deal with that today. I have to transfer the service from over here to the new location, and that has to be at a zero balance, so I had a bill that was coming,” Smith said. “I have to pay that, so I’m like, oh my god, it’s just everything coming down at one time, along with having to furnish the salon, the new location.”

During a visit to Slidell Monday, April 15, Landry announced the disaster didn’t meet the threshold to receive federal aid.

“Some of it, I don’t agree with, and I’ll have that discussion with Congressman Scalise’s office in the aftermath of this when we’re doing the review of everything that happened,” Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer said. “I think we could have reached the threshold if they calculated the numbers a little differently.”

Business owners, like Smith, agree.

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“The amount of people should not dictate who needs help and who doesn’t need help,” Smith said. “A disaster is a disaster, and anything that wipes you completely away like that, everyone who was affected needs to get that help.”

Smith says she doesn’t think she will apply for a loan through the Small Business Administration, but Cromer says it’s an option, according to Landry.

“He’s pretty much given us not a blank check, but the go-ahead to do what needs to be done to make Slidell and the surrounding community whole,” said Smith.

For more information on the state’s disaster assistance, visit the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness website.

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