July 17, 2024
Preparedness takeaways from BeforeDuringAfter community event
On June 27 in Houston—a major metropolis that has been ravaged by natural disasters in the past—a coalition of public-private entities celebrated the launch of BeforeDuringAfter, a multi-functional website designed to help Texas small businesses prepare for, respond to and ultimately recover from natural disasters and other unpredictable incidents. Nearly 100 Houston community and business leaders gathered at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas – Houston Branch to explore the site and hear from community members who have dealt with the aftermath of disasters firsthand.
The importance of preparation
The first half of the event featured Francisco Sanchez, the associate administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, who delivered the keynote address. Sanchez emphasized that unfortunately disasters are the new normal, and small businesses must shift from reacting to them to preparing for them. While the SBA has streamlined the disaster loan process to help businesses recover more quickly, Sanchez emphasized that preparation beforehand is crucial to maximizing the benefits of this assistance. There are also many low-cost, actionable steps businesses can take today to improve their resilience, including creating a disaster plan, backing up data and maintaining insurance coverage.
Insights of the panel
The second part of the event featured a panel discussion about the large impact of disasters on small businesses, moderated by Tom DeBesse, regional branch network executive at Wells Fargo. The panel included:
- Tom Muñoz, director, City of Houston Office of Emergency Management
- Janice Jucker, president and co-owner, Three Brothers Bakery
- Diana Zarzuelo, vice president of community philanthropy, Greater Houston Disaster Alliance
Each panelist highlighted the personal impact of disasters on small business owners, emphasizing the emotional toll and financial challenges they face, underscoring the importance of preparation and resilience. Key takeaways included:
- The importance of cash reserves, which allows businesses to pay employees, cover expenses and keep operations running while waiting for insurance payouts or government assistance.
- Having comprehensive insurance coverage is crucial, but it's equally important to understand the details of your policy to ensure you have adequate protection and avoid surprises during a disaster.
- Collaboration and resource-sharing between neighbors—whether businesses or individuals—can make a significant difference in recovery efforts.
- Disaster preparedness is not a one-time event, but a continuous cycle of planning, training and updating strategies.
There are many tasks for businesses to remember as they prepare for disasters and especially once they’re in the midst of one. BeforeDuringAfter serves as a centralized resource hub to make the information easier to access. It’s a one-stop shop for a wealth of disaster preparedness and recovery information, tools and resources, and it simplifies the process of finding relevant information and guidance.
In addition to those resources, BeforeDuringAfter provides a comprehensive readiness roadmap to guide businesses before a disaster, and real-time access to crucial government information and local news updates during a disaster. It also features a recovery timeline that includes steps businesses can take to help them bounce back after a disaster.
Learn more about Texas Mutual’s disaster preparedness and response initiatives and explore BeforeDuringAfter today.
