Emergency Response & Recovery for Businesses

SoHo Broadway Partner: Department of Small Business Services offers immediate assistance in times of crisis

During business emergencies, the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) provides immediate assistance through their Emergency Response Unit to help you recover and reopen your doors as quickly as possible.

Experiencing an Emergency

Call 911 if you are experiencing an emergency, in immediate danger, or have a serious injury or medical condition. The NYC Department of Small Business Services can support your business before, during, and after an emergency or other disruptions to your operations.

Emergency Response

SBS can help you get back to business after an emergency — for free. The SBS team works closely with NYC Emergency Management and other key New York City agencies to assess the impact to your business and help you restore operations as soon as possible.

If your business has been impacted by an emergency, the Emergency Response Unit can:

• Provide you with the latest emergency information on street closures, utilities disruptions, security, and demolitions.
• Help you regain access to your business location and recover your salvageable items once your premises are declared safe by the NYC Department of Buildings and New York City Fire Department.
• Coordinate with the NYC Police Department and other emergency responders to make sure your business location is secure and prevent losses.
• Connect you to local business organizations for possible relocation assistance.
• Help accelerate re-inspections, applications, and permit processes to restore your business operations.
• Connect you to an attorney for free legal advice about your business lease or contracts to determine how they may be impacted by an emergency.

Emergency Recovery

After an emergency has impacted your business, the SBS team can:

• Connect you with community organizations that may help you identify the necessary steps to rebuild and recover.
• Share recovery information and connect you to resources, including business relocation assistance, help with insurance questions, free legal advice, and financing assistance.
• Help you understand government regulations and answer permitting questions with city agencies such as the NYC Department of Buildings, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and many others.

Please call the NYC Small Business Services Hotline at 888-SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692) or fill out online form HERE.