Debris from Hurricane Irma cleanup blocks the drive to a bike rental shop in Key West. ©Corey Seeman, 2017.
After disaster, businesses can face a number of challenges to getting back on their feet. Property damage, lack of customers, supply chain interruptions, infrastructure disruptions, staffing issues, and a number of other factors can coincide to make it difficult—and in some cases impossible—to reopen. That phenomenon, then, raises the question: Do businesses fare better in communities that are better prepared for disaster?
That’s the question the posed in the latest research from the Quick Response Grant Program. To find out, Jenna Tyler of the University of Central Florida, examined four counties—two inland and two coastal—in Florida following the Hurricane Irma. Using the Federal Emergency Management Agency Community Rating System as a gauge of community preparedness, she set out to see if businesses in communities that had implemented better flood mitigation measures were able to recover more quickly.
Preliminary findings of the small-sample study indicate yes—but also that the many facets of business operations and how they interact with their communities also play in. Read the full report at the link below.