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SBA Offers Financial Relief to Louisiana Businesses Impacted by New Year’s Tragedy in New Orleans

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SBA Offers Financial Relief to Louisiana Businesses Impacted by New Year’s Tragedy in New Orleans


Biden-Harris Administration quickly deploying resources to assist all those impacted by horrific attack

Washington, Jan. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In response to the request from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that small businesses and private nonprofit organizations (PNPs) in Louisiana may now apply for federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the mass casualty incident that occurred in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Jan. 1. The disaster declaration includes the parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Tammany.

“The SBA joins the entire federal family in grieving the lives lost in this horrific attack and praying for those who were injured,” said SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. “As New Orleans and the wider community mourn and begin the healing process for this devastating tragedy, the SBA, in collaboration with state and local partners, stands ready to support and help provide disaster assistance to businesses suffering economic impact – including the small businesses than make neighborhoods like the French Quarter so vibrant.”

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture enterprises, and PNPs that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. EIDLs offer working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred.

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The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4% for small businesses and 3.625% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the SBA has simplified the process for an SBA disaster declaration and expanded available financial relief available, allowing the agency to more quickly provide greater affordable disaster loans and assistance to the small businesses that are the backbone of our communities nationwide.

Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

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Louisiana AG to launch full review of New Orleans security plan after Bourbon Street attack: report

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Louisiana AG to launch full review of New Orleans security plan after Bourbon Street attack: report


Louisiana’s top attorney plans to open a full review into the security planning that went into the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s Eve as concerns continue to mount about whether New Orleans officials could have done more to prevent the deadly attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens more, according to a report.

NOLA.com reported that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she plans to make a formal announcement on Monday about the full review, noting that New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has pledged to provide her complete support and cooperation.

New Orleans locals and visitors have been questioning why a temporary barrier intended to prevent cars from entering Bourbon Street, where Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through a New Year’s crowd in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, was set down instead of up, allowing vehicles to pass. 

The temporary metal barriers were installed on Bourbon Street and other areas of the French Quarter in mid-November as the city was in the process of removing old bollards and replacing them with stainless steel bollards. That work was expected to continue through January.

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NEW ORLEANS BARRICADE OVERSIGHT IN ‘TARGET AREA FOR TERRORISM’ DURING PRIME SEASON RAISES CONCERNS

Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill speaks to the media during a press conference on January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill )

Official recommendations for New Orleans’ security measures in the French Quarter, as part of a $2.3 billion infrastructure project that began in 2017, included the installation of new bollards on Bourbon Street to prevent mass casualty events that the FBI identified as a potential threat in the popular tourist area.

Security recommendations for the area included street cameras, a central command center, better lighting and high-quality bollards that are also used by the U.S. government near its official buildings.

NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, AS FBI SAYS NO OTHER SUSPECTS INVOLVED

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Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Orleans and Bourbon Street

Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Orleans and Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans.  (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former FBI official Bill Daly, a security and risk management adviser, told Fox News Digital that the “Achilles’ heel” in the Jan. 1 tragedy was that the temporary measures used on New Year’s Eve did not provide the same level of protection as was previously intended, designed and envisioned in the 2017 report. 

“Temporary barricades are used extensively. They’re used, for instance, by the New York City Police Department in Times Square, to close off all the side streets leading to Times Square,” Daly said. 

He explained that in New York City, authorities place cement blocks on the sidewalk and in the middle of the street as temporary barricades, and also use some vehicles like garbage trucks and dump trucks to block the road.

NEW ORLEANS TERROR SUSPECT’S BROTHER SAYS ATTACK IS SIGN OF ‘RADICALIZATION’: REPORT

A barricade on Bourbon Street (right) is back up on Jan. 2, the day after the terrorist attack, while a barrier on another street in the French Quarter (left) appears down on Jan. 2.

A barricade on Bourbon Street (right) is back up on Jan. 2, the day after the terrorist attack, while a barrier on another street in the French Quarter (left) appears down on Jan. 2. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

Along with the investigation from Murrill, some city council members said they plan to conduct their own investigations into the security measures that were in place on the morning of the attack.

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Murrill told NOLA.com she has spoken with City Council member Helena Moreno as well as District Attorney Jason Williams and other officials, adding that she intends to speak with others about her plans for a full review into security.

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“Everyone is committed to getting a complete picture of what was done or not done and, importantly, what needs to change so we can prevent this from ever happening again,” she said.

Murrill’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin, Garrett Tenney and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.

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VIDEO: FBI shares footage showing New Orleans terrorist in French Quarter before deadly rampage • Louisiana Illuminator

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VIDEO: FBI shares footage showing New Orleans terrorist in French Quarter before deadly rampage • Louisiana Illuminator


NEW ORLEANS – The FBI has released video — some of it obtained from terrorist Shamsud-Bin Jabbar — that shows him in the French Quarter in the hours before he killed 14 people and injured dozens more, and his view as he rode a bicycle through the historic district exactly two months earlier.

The footage comes from French Quarter surveillance cameras and scenes Jabbar recorded on Meta glasses in October, during what the FBI said was the first of two trips he took to New Orleans before his early New Year’s Day massacre. 

Authorities recovered three homemade bombs they said Jabbar placed in small coolers, including two that he’s seen on video placing on Bourbon Street. One of the explosive devices was found in the pickup truck he drove after he sped through a crowd of pedestrians and was killed in a shootout with police.

Also recovered from the truck was what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms considers a remote detonation device. Jabbar, a 42-year-old IT professional and U.S. Army veteran from Texas, could have used it to set off the bombs had New Orleans police not responded soon enough, ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said during a news conference Sunday.  

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The FBI compiled all of the footage it shared into a single video that’s nearly four minutes long. The timestamps that follow detail the content of the segments:  

0:00 – Jabbar recorded footage on Meta eyeglasses Oct. 31 during his bike ride in the French Quarter and Canal Street. The FBI said Jabbar was wearing Meta glasses early Wednesday, but there is no indication he used them to record or live stream his attack. 

1:36 – Jabbar recorded himself wearing Meta glasses looking into a mirror at a home investigators say he rented during his October trip to New Orleans.   

1:41 – French Quarter surveillance video recorded at 1:53 a.m. Wednesday shows Jabbar with a blue cooler that investigators said had an improvised bomb inside. The FBI said Jabbar left it at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter streets, and it was found a block away at Orleans Street after “multiple unknowing Bourbon Street visitors grabbed the cooler’s handle and moved it.”

2:20 – At approximately 2:20 a.m., surveillance footage shows Jabbar leaving the second explosive device inside a “bucket-style” cooler at Bourbon and Toulouse streets. The video shows him standing next to a trash can receptacle as visitors walk and dance around him. 

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At one point, Jabbar is seen waving his hand while looking down Bourbon Street, then he walks away from the cooler. Investigators did not address who or what Jabbar might have been waving to or why during Sunday’s news conference. 

2:42 – A still image from surveillance video clearly shows Jabbar walking down Governor Nicholls Street. The FBI said he was returning to his truck to pick up the second cooler. The brown long coat he is seen wearing was recovered from the truck at the scene of the deadly attack.   

3:00 – Jabbar is seen on surveillance video walking up and down Governor Nicholls Street. 

Federal investigators provided an update on their continuing investigation Sunday, saying they still believe Jabbar acted alone. However, they continue to look into trips they say Jabbar took to Egypt and Canada over the summer. He also traveled to the Atlanta and Tampa, Florida, areas. 

Lyonel Myrthil, the FBI’s special agent in charge of its New Orleans office, said investigators are trying to determine who Jabbar might have come into contact with during his travels.

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Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she has asked the Biden administration to provide an expert who can assess the city’s terrorism vulnerabilities ahead of the Super Bowl, which takes place Feb. 9 at the Superdome, and Mardi Gras. 

Carnival season officially begins Monday and culminates on Fat Tuesday, March 4.

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🔴 LIVE TORNADO CHASE – Significant Tornado Threat in Louisiana – January 5, 2025 {J}

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🔴 LIVE TORNADO CHASE – Significant Tornado Threat in Louisiana – January 5, 2025 {J}


The Texas Storm Chasers are actively monitoring and documenting severe weather events across East Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Stay informed on their activities and receive timely updates on the latest weather warnings by following their journey. @JasonCooleyTSC 1/5/25

#storm #severe #weather #sky #hail #twister #wind #rain #flood #IRL #livetv #TEXAS

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