PENDLETON — Members of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security met with Pendleton Business Association members and other business owners from the town and surrounding area to begin gathering information for potential government assistance, through a loan or grant, to help pay for losses associated with the May 27 EF2 tornado.

Mary Moran, recovery director for IDHS, and Manuela Johnson, state Disaster Relief Fund administrator, were among those who spoke May 30 to a group of 30-plus local business representatives at town hall.

All local businesses with damage or losses — regardless of whether they seek aid — have been asked to provide information, including estimated losses, whether they have insurance, and other pertinent data to the IDHS.

A form to provide the information was distributed to local businesses at the meeting. It is also available at town hall, on the Town of Pendleton Facebook page, or on the business association website (pendletonin.org).

“This is just a survey for us to get an idea of what is out there,” Moran said.

Julie Schnepp, president of the business association, said any business hurt by the tornado is eligible for relief. The business does not have to be in the town limits or a member of the association.

She added that even if the business is not seeking outside help, it should fill out the form to document damage. It could help another local business that may not be able to cover its repair costs without the help of a government loan or grant.

“I’ve had some business owners who feel their loss is small and they have the financial ability to not worry about it,” Schnepp said. “I’ve explained to them that the tiny Mom-and-Pop shop doesn’t have that ability. We need our bigger businesses not (to) be prideful and report it, too. We need it so the majority of the people can get the benefit.”

Moran echoed that to the group of business reps.

“Even if you or someone you know has damages that are so low they are not going to claim it, we still need that information. Even if you don’t in the future apply to get (relief), it still helps us to meet any threshold we are required to meet.”

Along with structural damage, business owners are asked to have estimates on any economic loss.

Examples mentioned in the meeting were from businesses that are open but not getting customers because of storm-related difficulties.

“I had a business owner tell me they didn’t lose power and they were not in the eye of the storm, but no one is showing up to their business,” Schnepp said.

Moran said documented information on losses of business and reasons why are things that would be taken into account.

The May 30 meeting was the initial dialogue from the IDHS to local businesses on what they need to do to recover their losses.

Johnson explained to the group that the process is two-tiered and added that the U.S. Small Business Administration has structural damage loans and economic loss loans.

The first level is to determine the amount of damage that has been done to the businesses in Pendleton and Madison County. The second is to see which level of assistance will be provided.

“Then, (the business) will have the opportunity to decide if it wants to participate in that level of assistance or not,” she said.

Residential damage

The Madison County Emergency Management and Office of Homeland Security (EMA) released a preliminary damage assessment on the morning of May 30 that states 30 to 40 structures in South Madison County were severely damaged or destroyed by the May 27 tornado.

According to the report, of the 1,500 structures surveyed, 500 were damaged, with 30 to 40 that have “major damage or are destroyed.

“Structural engineers are inspecting locations where heavy damage occurred to ensure structures are safe for occupancy,” the release states.

Preliminary damage estimates may increase as clean-up continues and inspectors can get a better look at the structural integrity of affected structures.

Residents are being asked to fill out an Initial Disaster Intake/Assessment Form to help assess the needs of those affected by the storm. The form can be found at https://in211.communityos.org/idhs-damage-assessment.