Businesses in Missouri are waiting on a federal disaster declaration following the severe storms and tornadoes on May 16, 2025. A federal disaster declaration is crucial for businesses because it triggers access to a wide range of federal resources and programs, including financial assistance, loans, and tax relief to help businesses recover from the damage and disruptions caused by the disaster, ultimately aiding in rebuilding and restarting operations. A federal declaration is required for:
 
Access to FEMA Resources: FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, plays a key role in disaster response and recovery, coordinating federal efforts and providing resources to help businesses recover. 
  • Long-Term Recovery: Declarations initiate long-term recovery programs that offer assistance to businesses and public entities, helping them rebuild and recover beyond the immediate response. 
     
    Tax Relief: The IRS offers tax relief measures, such as extended deadlines for filing and paying taxes, to ease the financial burden on businesses.  
Financial Assistance: Federal programs like the Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan program provide low-interest loans to help businesses bridge the financial gap, cover immediate expenses, and fund the recovery process until they can stabilize or receive full insurance payouts.
 
 
Once an official disaster declaration has been issued, affected businesses can apply for the SBA disaster loan programs intended to aid businesses and nonprofits get back on their feet after a declared disaster. Here's how the SBA's physical damage, economic injury disaster, and mitigation loans can help affected Missouri businesses:
 
Physical Damage Loans: These loans help businesses repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. Details can be found here: SBA Physical Damage Loans (scroll down to business physical disaster)
 
Mitigation Loans: This is an added benefit to physical damage loans. Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20% of their verified physical damages for mitigation purposes. This allows businesses to fund improvements that will help protect against future similar damage. Details can be found here: SBA Mitigation Assistance Loans
 
Economic Injury Disaster Loans: EIDLs help eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. This assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage. These loans can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. Details can be found here: SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans
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Impacted Businesses – Through the St. Louis Development Corporation, St. Louis City has set up an assessment form to help understand the needs of businesses impacted by the storm. SUBMIT A FORM. The data gathered from this form will help local government and community agencies determine how to deploy resources to help affected businesses.
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The severe storms in the St. Louis area on March 14th have been declared a federal disaster, so affected organizations and people can apply for federal assistance. Local, in-person guidance is available!
 
Business Recovery Center
Presented by Small Business Administration
Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. @ Florissant Valley Branch
Friday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. @ Florissant Valley Branch
This drop-in service is available for businesses and nonprofits affected by the March 14th severe storms in North County. The SBA will help qualified organizations with disaster loan information and applications for the entire month of June.
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Small Business Programs in June
 
Virtual Program: Legal Office Hours for Entrepreneurs / Horarios de Asesoría Jurídica de Negocios para Emprendedores
Tuesday, June 10 , 5:00 p.m. 
Presented by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Join one of our community virtual legal clinics to speak to an attorney one-on-one for 30 minutes. This program offers support in both English and Spanish.
(Registration opens June 1, 9:00 a.m. / Registro se abre 9:00 a.m., 1 de Junio)
 
Starting Your New Business Legal Clinic
Wednesday, June 11, 5:30 p.m. @ Lewis & Clark Branch
Presented by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
If you are planning to or have recently started a business, come and get some guidance on your general business formation questions. Register through LSEM at this link: Legal Clinic
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Small Business Programs in July
 
Virtual Program: Legal Office Hours for Entrepreneurs / Horarios de Asesoría Jurídica de Negocios para Emprendedores
Tuesday, July 8, 5:00 p.m. 
Presented by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Join one of our community virtual legal clinics to speak to an attorney one-on-one for 30 minutes. This program offers support in both English and Spanish.
(Registration opens July 1, 9:00 a.m. / Registro se abre 9:00 a.m., 1 de Julio)
 
Drilling Down on Business Demographics with Simply Analytics (and more)
Monday, July 14, 2:00 p.m. @ Clark Family Branch
Thursday, July 31, 6:00 p.m. @ Clark Family Branch & Virtual
Simply Analytics and other SLCL databases have thousands of cross tabulated datasets that can be used to better understand your customer base. Explore a few unique and interesting options for using and finding the in depth data in these databases.
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THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
 
We celebrate the birth of Mildred J. Hill (1859-1916), composer of the melody that Guinness World Records cites as the most recognized song in the English language: Happy Birthday to You!
 
 
 
This little ditty's enduring influence and staying power speaks to the profoundly important role that music can play in modern marketing. Consider adding audio to your marketing efforts to reap these benefits:
  • Emotional Connection:
    • Music has a unique ability to evoke strong emotions and memories. This allows marketers to create powerful connections with consumers, associating positive feelings with their brand.
    • By choosing the right music, brands can tap into specific emotions, such as joy, nostalgia, or excitement, to resonate with their target audience.
  • Brand Identity and Recognition:
    • A distinctive musical identity, such as a jingle or theme song, can make a brand instantly recognizable.
    • Music can reinforce a brand's personality and values, helping to create a cohesive and memorable image.
  • Enhanced Storytelling:
    • Music can enhance the narrative of a marketing campaign, adding depth and emotional impact to the story.
    • It can set the tone and mood, creating a more engaging and immersive experience for the audience.
  • Increased Engagement:
    • Music can capture attention and hold it, making marketing messages more effective.
    • It can also encourage sharing and social interaction, particularly in the context of social media marketing.
  • Influence on Consumer Behavior:
    • Studies have shown that music can influence consumer behavior, such as increasing the likelihood of purchasing a product.
    • The right music can create a positive atmosphere in retail environments, encouraging customers to spend more time and money.
  • Cultural Relevance:
    • Music is a large part of culture. By using music that is currently popular, or that has cultural significance, brands can create a feeling of relevance with their target demographic.
In essence:
  • Music transcends language barriers, demographic boundaries, and temporal constraints, allowing brands to connect with diverse audiences worldwide.
  • It adds a layer of depth and emotional resonance to marketing campaigns, making them more memorable and impactful.
  • Therefore, strategically incorporating music into marketing efforts can significantly enhance a brand's ability to connect with its target audience and achieve its marketing goals.
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Are you considering adding audio advertising to your marketing toolbox? Do you need some guidance about how to start and where to get some help? St. Louis County Library can help!
The Creative Lab, within the Teen Space at the Clark Family Branch, has a recording studio, hardware, and software you need to create audio content. You can also get one-on-one assistance to navigate these tools by filling out this form: Book a Maker
 
Recommended reading:
  • Audio Branding: Building Your Brand Through Sound by Charlie Choi
  • The Catchiest Advertising Jingles of All Time by Industry Today
  • The Need To Be Heard: Why Sonic Branding Is Growing In Importance by Charles Taylor
  • How to Make Programmatic Audio Advertising Fertile Ground for Massive Returns by Nataliya Zubkova 
  • Audio Advertising is in its Performance Era-It's All About Results by Paul Suchman
  • Audio Advertising: The Ultimate Guide by Niyathi Rao
  • 8 Tips for Writing a Jingle by Writemeajongle.com
 
If you prefer to learn via self-paced video tutorials, consider using these databases for free content and certification:
 
DATABASE SPOTLIGHT
 
LinkedIn Learning offers a variety of courses covering essential marketing and advertising topics, from foundational concepts to advanced strategies.
Udemy offers a wide array of marketing courses that explain the various aspects of digital marketing and advertising.
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Book a Librarian

For one-on-one assistance with your research needs or help navigating library databases, contact us through this form: Book a Librarian