Natural Disaster Preparations May Aid Businesses’ Pandemic Response

Natural Disaster Preparations May Aid Businesses’ Pandemic Response

Credit: Virginia Sea Grant


A local resident surveys building damage after Tropical Storm Isaias swept through Suffolk, Virginia, on Aug. 4, 2020.



The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have battered small and medium-sized enterprises, putting millions of jobs in the U.S. at risk. And a year rife with natural disasters has not done many struggling businesses any favors.


To learn about the strategies and experiences of businesses managing this double threat, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), surveyed small and medium-sized enterprises across the country. In a new report of survey results, nearly a quarter of businesses felt natural disaster preparations helped them address COVID-19. They tended to find preparations of broad applicability during natural disasters, such as telework readiness, more useful than hazard-specific measures. The survey also identified areas of hardship for businesses, including uncertainty and a lack of guidance and resources.


“The survey results can help by drawing attention to how small and medium-sized businesses are thriving or suffering and showing where natural disaster planning and preparation helped,” said Ariela Zycherman, NOAA social scientist and co-author of the report. “The results will also help us identify places where there are needs and opportunities to build social and economic resilience to multiple types of disasters.”


The NIST and NOAA researchers conducted natural disaster preparations businesses pandemic response