Preparation & Response for Businesses
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Introduction
Small businesses face a daunting set of challenges when preparing for natural disasters. Often living in the same communities where they operate their businesses, small business owners can be threatened on multiple fronts in a disaster scenario, forced to protect both personal and professional assets. Further, small business often lack the resources that larger enterprises or franchise operations benefit from. This document is intended to help small business prepare for the unique challenges they face when disasters strike.
The most critical resources for this topic are marked with a check.
Critical Organizations
- Small Business Administration
- FEMA, Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation Division
- Heritage Preservation, Heritage Emergency National Task Force
Main Street Resources for Businesses
Preparation
- Coping With Disaster (Main Street News, No. 190, October 2002). FREE from Main Street News, an article detailing how small businesses can prepare for and recover from natural disasters.
- Averting Disaster: Asset Protection for Main Street Business (Main Street News, No. 235, December 2006. Main Street members-only content.)
- Insurance 101: Looking Ahead (Main Street News, No. 223, November 2005. Main Street members-only content.)
- Keeping Post-Disaster Main Street Going: You may be down, but not out (Main Street News, No. 222, October 2005. Main Street members-only content.)
- Reaching Out: Main Street Network Mobilizes to Assist Katrina Victims (Main Street News, No. 222, October 2005. Main Street members-only content.)
- Cover Me (Main Street News, No. 1990, August 2003. Main Street members-only content.)
- Security at Main Street Special Events (Main Street News, No. 181, November 2001. Main Street members-only content.)
Response
- Coping With Disaster (Main Street News, No. 190, October 2002). FREE from Main Street News, an article detailing how small businesses can prepare for and recover from natural disasters.
- Keeping Post-Disaster Main Street Going: You may be down, but not out (Main Street News, No. 222, October 2005. Main Street members-only content.)
- Reaching Out: Main Street Network Mobilizes to Assist Katrina Victims (Main Street News, No. 222, October 2005. Main Street members-only content.)
Other Resources
The Sykora Bakery, Czech Village, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Taken during the building's restoration 9 months after the historic Iowa floods of 2008.
Credit: Jennifer Sandy, NTHP
Preparation
Web Resources
- National Trust Insurance Services (NTIS). NTIS is the nation's leading insurance agency specifically designed to offer comprehensive insurance solutions to historic property owners and preservation organizations.
- Getting the Right Insurance for Your Historic Building (Forum News, March/April 2009, Volume XV, No. 4; members only content).
- State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) List, found at the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers' website.
- Water-Resistant Design and Construction: An Illustrated Guide to Preventing Water Intrusion, Condensation, and Mold (McGraw Hill 2007, 286 pages). An in-depth guide to preparing your home to withstand water intrusion threats from floods, hurricanes, and severe storms..
- Disaster Mitigation for Historic Structures: Protection Strategies (Florida SHPO/1000 Friends of Florida). A guide to help building owners understand which protection and mitigation strategies maybe appropriate for their property based on its specific characteristics.
- Fire Safety in Historic Buildings (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
- Fire Safety Retrofitting (General Services Administration)
Print Resources
- Preserving History from Fire: Bridging the Gap Between Safety Codes and Historic Buildings (Old House Journal, November/December 2000). Addresses fire code issues for older buildings.
- Up In Smoke (Preservation Magazine, November/December 2002). Discusses publications useful for developing fire safety code for historic buildings; discusses performance-based building codes—a policy tool that can be used to limit destruction of historic fabric while improving fire safety; discusses other ways to limit the threat of fire in historic structures.
Response
- Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings(National Trust for Historic Preservation)
- Mold Removal Guidelines for Your Home (LSU Ag Center)
- A Guide to the Disaster Declaration Process;(FEMA)
- Coping With Water Damage (Heritage Preservation) is an informative video on how to re-enter flooded buildings and deal with damaged contents and collections.
- After The Flood: Rebuilding Communities Through Historic Preservation, a video produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting, talks about the state response mechanisms that acted to save historic resources after the historic 1996 floods in south Georgia.
- Disaster Debris, information from the EPA about cleaning up debris after disasters.
- Dealing With Debris And Damaged Buildings, post-Katrina information from the EPA specifically relating to structurally unsound buildings and hazardous materials.
- Tree Care After Storms, from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Financial Resources for Planning and Response
Preparation
- FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program. This program provides funds to states, territories, Indian tribal governments, communities, and universities for hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of mitigation projects prior to a disaster event.
- Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions (FEMA). This guide is an updated and expanded version of Resources for Recovery: Post-Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions, first developed in 1992 by Heritage Preservation and then revised in 2000. Before and After Disasters includes summary descriptions and contact information for 15 Federal grant and loan programs (pdf).
- Community Development Block Grant Program (HUD) is a flexible grant program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs, which could include disaster planning.
- Navigating FEMA and SBA Disaster Aid (Heritage Preservation). A brief guide to understanding what is available and to whom.
- www.floodsmart.gov, the official website of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Response
- FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program. This program is designed to provide assistance to State, Tribal and local governments, and certain types of Private Nonprofit organizations so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies declared by the President.
- Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans. SBA offers several different types of loans designed to keep businesses in operation after disasters and to rebuild or replace uninsured or underinsured disaster damages.
- Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions (FEMA). This guide is an updated and expanded version of Resources for Recovery: Post-Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions, first developed in 1992 by Heritage Preservation and then revised in 2000. Before and After Disasters includes summary descriptions and contact information for 15 Federal grant and loan programs (pdf).
- National Trust For Historic Preservation Grant Funds. The National Trust provides two types of assistance to nonprofit organizations and public agencies: 1) matching grants from $500 to $5,000 for preservation planning and educational efforts, and 2) intervention funds for preservation emergencies. Visit the Grant Funds website to learn more about the availability of funds and how to apply for assistance.
- The President's Advisory Council On Historic Preservation: Federal Financial Assistance for Historic Preservation Projects—Disaster Response. A list of list of Federal disaster relief programs focused on providing financial assistance for structural rehabilitation after a disaster or supporting proactive efforts to reduce or prevent future potential damage.
For Futher Reading
- FEMA Historic Preservation Useful Links. A thorough listing of federal historic preservation agencies and programs, as well as laws, regulation guidance, training, and allied organizations throughout the US.
- Field Guide to Emergency Response, published by Heritage Preservation. Geared toward cultural institutions, this publication is a step-by-step guide to deal dealing with disaster scenarios.
- Rebuilding Historic Communities Through Historic Preservation (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division [SHPO])
- Information For Owners of Damaged Buildings Following A National Disaster (North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office [SHPO]). A series of fact sheets on dealing with the immediate and longer-term work associated with caring for a building after a disaster.
- NFPA 914: Code for Fire Protection of Historic Structures, (National Fire Protection Association) used by National Trust properties.
- Fire Ratings of Archaic Materials and Assemblies, (HUD) A 184-page HUD document detailing the fire safety of materials often found in historic buildings but often omitted from contemporary fire ratings sources. This document can assist in the modernization and reuse of historic buildings by providing more thorough information on the fire safety of certain materials.
- Fire Inspection Checklist, (National Fire Protection Association) Designed for professionals but relevant to building and homeowners, this checklist can help identify and reduce fire risks in historic buildings.
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