Almost six in 10 U.S. workers are employed by a micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise (MSME), a firm with up to 499 employees. For the sake of local economies, their employees, and the social fabric of our communities, getting small businesses back on their feet after a disaster like Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton should be a high priority — and big businesses have a critical role to play. They can start with what they know best — business — and take actions to help their smaller counterparts recover, such as stretching out payment terms or being flexible on contract provisions. They can also look outside their own corporate depth chart to provide expert support, facilities, broadband access, or other actions to restore morale and normalcy in impacted communities. Finally, they can share their disaster preparedness playbooks, to help everyone prepare for the next time — because disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton aren’t going away.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have been traumatic in many ways — the loss of lives, homes, history, and in some cases, hope. For those who own or work for small businesses, there is yet another looming loss — that of their livelihoods. This matters for everyone, not just for those who are seeing their American dream imperiled.
