Atlanta business owners still waiting for water crisis financial relief funds
Many Atlanta small business owners who suffered financial losses during the city’s summer water outage crisis are still waiting for promised relief funds.
The water main breaks in early June cut off a large swath of the city. Crews worked overtime to excavate and replace corroded pipes — some were more than 80 years old, according to Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management. Among the chaotic incidents: hospitals stopped surgeries, rapper Megan Thee Stallion had to cancel two major Atlanta concerts, and some residents were forced to boil or drink bottled water for nearly a week, even after water was restored.
Community organizer Devin Barrington Ward, with the local Black Futurists Group, has been a major player in pushing city officials to draft legislation and act quickly to support those business owners who had to shutter their doors or took a financial hit.
Atlanta City Council members say more than 500 Atlanta residents completed an application for relief amounts that vary from $2,000-$10,000. The deadline was in early July. Invest Atlanta, the financial arm in charge of dispensing the money, has promised to prioritize those most directly impacted — like restaurants, salons and daycares.
But during a check-in interview with WABE’s “Morning Edition,” Ward says because of the financial losses and the fact the relief funds have yet to hit bank accounts, many business owners have been forced to axe employees. Some have even considered not renewing their leases.
Ward tells WABE he’s also worried about council members planning for when the city’s aging infrastructure fails. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a review of the system, which is expected to take roughly 18 months.
Ward is running in the special election for the Atlanta City Council Post 3 At Large seat in November.
WABE has not received a response from the Atlanta City Council and Invest Atlanta on why business owners haven’t received their relief funds more than two months after the water outage crisis.
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