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The August earthquake that rattled buildings up and down the East Coast, the widespread flooding and power outages caused by Hurricane Irene, and a number of tornadoes are recent reminders of the significant risk that natural disasters pose to small businesses.
According to the Association of Small Business Development Centers, more than one in four businesses will experience a significant crisis in any given year, and too many of them will never recover. Of those businesses that experience a disaster and have no emergency plan, 43% never reopen.
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Crossposted on BCLCblog.com
Tornadoes affected six states in the Southern U.S. this past week causing major damage in many areas. The state of Alabama was the most heavily affected state, experiencing a mile-wide F-5 tornado that damaged the cities of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Experts are saying
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Business aid for Japan has been rapid and generous. In the two business days since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, almost $40.1 million has been pledged by the global business sector. Goldman Sachs and Mitsubishi have each contributed $6.1 million; General Electric, $5 million; and Panasoni
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cross posted from BCLC BlogWhat is it about Haiti that keeps philanthropists and investors alike coming back? One year after the devastating earthquake, Haiti still captivates the interest of many in the United States. Outside of Hurricane Katrina, this is rare for disasters. An Unconventional Dis
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Last week, I attended a private sector roundtable with the new FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate. The fact that FEMA hosted a roundtable for stakeholders from the private sector is an encouraging sign. It shows that FEMA understands the importance of the private sector in the response and recovery p
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How often do you think about helping communities that have been devastated by disasters? Many company foundations and community relations staff members think about this topic every day, and even more so now that hurricane season is upon us again.
Last year, BCLC published a report entitled "On T
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Even in the offseason, hurricane preparation continues. BCLC staff and working group members saw this first hand during two tours that were part of our Disaster Relief and Recovery forum this month.
The first tour was an educational walk through the Disaster Survival House. Originally built by Sta
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Two weeks ago tomorrow, October 17, was a big day for the City of Galveston. The Galveston Chamber of Commerce hosted a recovery expo for local businesses to receive disaster related information from all the relevant organizations. The traditional groups were there, like FEMA, the Small Business A
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On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I attended the International Economic Development (IEDC) conference at Atlanta’s downtown Hyatt Regency. For those of you who missed the event, here’s what I think you should know.
Regionalism is growing increasingly important. In his lunchtime speech, Deputy Ass
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Congress has passed two major bills to assist victims of the 2008 disasters. The disaster-related provisions were embedded in H.R. 2638 - Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 and H.R. 1424 - Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
The continuing resolut
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Iowa's late-spring disaster began with severe storms and an F-5 tornado in Parkersburg on May 25. It continued with unrelenting flooding.
In wake of the natural disaster, BCLC and its National Help Desk for Business staff began monitoring the events in Cedar Rapids. On June 13, Ines Pearce, who man
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If the last several weeks have been any indication, we could be in for a very busy disaster season. The U.S. alone is in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, as well as the season for wildfires and tornadoes.
Credit the Office Depot Foundation for having the foresight to fund a progra
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The situation in Myanmar is very delicate, and much care should be taken when companies are deciding whether to donate. There is no doubt that this is a major humanitarian crisis, but the Myanmar government continues to erect obstacles that prevent both the U.S. government and U.S.-based NGOs from
from BCLC
by Gerald McSwigganYesterday, the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) launched the National Disaster Help Desk for Business (1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP), a resource brought to you by the Office Depot Foundation. The Help Desk is designed to enhance community economic recovery after a disaster.
The Help
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Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Emergency Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held a hearing about businesses working with government.
Al Sligh, Director of the Office of Management at FEMA, testified about the June
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On Friday, February 29, BCLC hosted a webinar entitled, “The Image of American Business in a Globalized World.” GlobeScan Inc. presented their findings based on research in over 50 countries around the world. Here are some of the findings of interest to the business community:
The attitude that g
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The Aspen Institute and World Learning recently conducted a poll that found that “a vast majority of Americans are concerned about the continuing decline in the United States’ reputation overseas.” Specifically, 36 percent of Americans believe that negative attitudes about the US could prompt boyco
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After the fires in southern California in October 2007, I traveled to San Diego alongside the Small Business Administration to help facilitate recovery in the region. What struck me was how well the response was going.
What also struck me was how little most people know about recovery.
Disasters
