City will provide funding to small businesses affected by water breaks

Thousands of Atlanta residents have been without clean water since Friday as numerous water main breaks disrupted the city’s system. Restaurants, office buildings and venues across Atlanta have closed due to widespread water outages.

Dickens called the past few days “a weekend like no other” in the city that is already plagued by a decades-old water system that caused headaches long before the recent pipe bursts .

“People came to town and those who were already there had plans for the weekend,” he said. “And all of that was disrupted because of some major water main breaks across the city.”

The bill – supported by all council members – allocates an initial $5 million to distribute to small businesses. The process will be similar to emergency funds provided by the City to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Credit: [email protected]

Credit: [email protected]

Council member Matt Westmoreland, who presented the document, said he heard from businesses that lost between $10,000 and $20,000 over the weekend.

“We have all seen the impact that the last 72 hours have had on our residents and our small businesses,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I have heard directly from many, many businesses who are concerned about losing money during what is typically the busiest time of the week. »

The bill will be considered in committee next week, when council members will discuss details on business size and other qualifying factors. Westmoreland said he fully expects the bill to be voted on at the June 17 council meeting.

During his comments to the council, Dickens also added that at the city’s request, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would come in to help assess the vulnerability of Atlanta’s aging water system. The mayor said he expects the agency to have “boots on the ground” Tuesday.