How to prepare for the next disaster is a question many small business owners confront only after experiencing a crisis. For others, the daily challenge of keeping their businesses afloat leaves little time to plan for what lies ahead. Yet as natural disasters and economic shocks grow more frequent, the cost of not preparing is high. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly 43% of small businesses never reopen after a disaster.
Recognizing this risk, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) launched a $5 million Small Business Resiliency program in 2024 to help entrepreneurs prepare for and recover from disasters of all kinds, whether natural, economic, or infrastructural. The initiative focuses on strengthening the capacity of local Business Development Organizations (BDOs), which play a critical role in supporting small businesses on the ground. Through LISC’s national network of more than 150 BDOs, the program currently partners with 25 organizations in Chicago, Detroit, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico. Together, they deliver training, one-on-one technical assistance, and practical planning tools that help business owners develop continuity and resilience strategies. Approximately three-quarters of the businesses served through these partner organizations are located in low- to moderate-income communities.
LISC’s approach is grounded in the belief that resilient communities depend on resilient businesses. As Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen, senior program officer for economic development at LISC, explains, thriving local economies require businesses that can withstand and recover from disruption. Through the program, BDOs help entrepreneurs understand that preparedness principles are largely universal across crises. Business owners are encouraged to assess vulnerabilities, plan for disruptions, and coordinate response strategies in advance. By fostering shared learning, collaboration, and practical planning, the program strengthens not only individual enterprises but also long-term community resilience.
One of the program’s early impacts has been demystifying the language of disaster resilience for both business owners and support organizations. According to Moritz-Chapelliquen, having a shared and clear framework enables entrepreneurs to communicate more effectively with lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders, demonstrating preparedness and credibility at critical moments.
Since its launch, BDOs participating in the LISC Small Business Resiliency program have supported more than 1,300 businesses across the four regions. In Puerto Rico, Centro Para Emprendedores has embedded resilience planning into its entrepreneurship support model, helping businesses shift from reactive recovery to proactive preparedness. Founded in 2012, the organization supports entrepreneurs, many of them women, through education, mentorship, and access to capital. Its Business SOS program, initially launched after Hurricanes Irma and María, has continued through earthquakes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recurring power and infrastructure disruptions.
With support from LISC, Centro Para Emprendedores adopted a structured resilience toolkit that includes checklists and planning templates, making disaster preparedness more actionable for entrepreneurs who often struggle to find time for long-term planning. As a result, businesses are better equipped to respond quickly when emergencies arise. Among those benefiting is Yvis del Mar Ortíz Vélez, founder of the jewelry brand Loobanys in Old San Juan. Operating in a disaster-prone area, Loobanys developed a comprehensive contingency plan that improved decision-making around closures, emergencies, and coordination with local support networks. This proactive planning has helped the business remain operational despite repeated crises.
In Chicago, the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation is strengthening neighborhood economies by helping entrepreneurs prepare for disruptions ranging from flooding and extreme weather to infrastructure failures. Serving Belmont Cragin and surrounding neighborhoods, many of whose residents are Spanish-speaking immigrants, the organization integrates bilingual resiliency planning and emergency response training into its broader mission of building generational wealth. Through the LISC program, Northwest Side CDC co-created a community-focused resiliency toolkit that makes disaster planning more accessible while also applying the same tools internally after experiencing flood damage itself.
This strengthened capacity allows the organization to better support entrepreneurs like Mayola Rosales Guzman, founder of El Capitan Snacks. After transitioning from street vending to a physical storefront, Guzman faced new challenges related to plumbing, flooding, and property maintenance. Training received through the LISC program helped her prepare for emergencies, and when severe rain caused major plumbing damage, prior planning allowed her to minimize losses and reopen within two days. The experience reinforced the value of preparedness and highlighted new opportunities, such as exploring additional insurance options.
Along Louisiana’s vulnerable coastlines, Coastal Communities Consulting (CCC) supports small businesses, many from immigrant fishing families, as they navigate repeated environmental and economic shocks. Founded after the BP Oil Spill, CCC has assisted more than 1,500 families and businesses in accessing capital, navigating disaster programs, and building long-term financial resilience. Participation in the LISC program has expanded CCC’s ability to deliver resiliency planning and track real-time impact, strengthening the region’s seafood economy.
For Diane Zarak and her family-run oyster business, Atlantis Oysters, CCC has become a critical source of support amid hurricanes, flooding, and market pressures from imported seafood. With CCC’s guidance, the family has been able to secure funding, navigate recovery programs, and continue sustaining their livelihood, demonstrating how community-based support can help preserve local industries through ongoing adversity.
In Detroit, organizations like the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation are helping entrepreneurs prepare for challenges ranging from aging infrastructure and flooding to economic instability and displacement. For nearly three decades, DHDC has supported residents through education, housing counseling, and small business development. Through LISC’s resiliency program, the organization strengthened its own disaster response capacity, which proved critical during a recent water main break that flooded homes and businesses. The lessons learned are now being applied to help entrepreneurs develop their own resiliency plans and to launch a new resiliency hub in River Rouge.
Across Puerto Rico, Chicago, Louisiana, and Detroit, the LISC Small Business Resiliency program demonstrates that preparedness is not a one-time exercise but a long-term investment in economic stability. By embedding resilience planning into everyday business support, LISC and its partners are strengthening entire local ecosystems. When the next crisis comes, these communities are better positioned not just to survive, but to protect the financial heartbeat that keeps them moving forward.
