One of the most challenging constituencies in regards to promoting disaster / emergency preparedness are small-medium sized businesses.  Just keeping a business going on a day-to-day basis is challenge, so figuring out how to make it resilient against the next disaster may seem next to impossible.  Despite the fact that small businesses comprise over 75% (or more) of the economic activity in our communities, the evidence has demonstrated it's these same businesses that are most vulnerable to disruptions from unexpected emergencies and disasters.

However, there are a number of relatively simple steps any business can take to mitigate its exposure to these types of incidents.  The challenge for the emergency management community is how to educate the small business sector on these mitigation measures, and then convince them it's worth the effort and resources to implement them.

Much of the information on how a small business can increase its disaster resilience is readily available - what's missing is the incentive.  My proposal is to develop a program that recognizes and rewards those businesses who have taken the effort to become prepared for the emergencies or diasters most likely to affect their business, and in doing so, protect their employees and customers, which ultimately add to the overall economic resilience of the entire community in which they operate.

"Certified Disaster Ready" would become a designation that could be bestowed from either the local, state or federal level. Various "levels" of certification would indicate that the business had implemented specific measures to reduce their vulnerability, and each "level" would reflect the size and nature of the business, and the extent to which they had achieved certain objectives or tasks.  A very small set of examples might include securing heavy items or critical equipment in seismically prone regions, providing CPR training to employees, identifying and establishing alternate suppliers / sources for key resources, or entering into cooperative mutual aid agreements with similar companies to support each other during a disaster scenario, or developing a continuity of operations plan.

The incentives for "certification" could include a logo/sticker to display at their place of business or on the business website - which tells the public that this is a business which has assumed a higher level of responsibility in terms of the safety of their employees and customers.  Addtionally, the business could receive tax credits in recognition that their efforts to become more resilient will have very real economic implications: first, they are much less likely to need government assistance following a disaster, and second, their ability to withstand the disaster will help the community recover faster.  Lastly, insurance companies might be influenced to provide their own incentives to businesses that are "disaster certified" for obvious reasons.

To ensure this was an ongoing effort, business would need to be "re-certified" every so often.  Since this entire program would be entirely voluntary, there's no mandate on any business to participate beyond the extent of their own desire to benefit themselves, their clients and their community.

The program could be funded through a certification application fee (small), with the balance provide by a combination of local, state and federal sources - again recognizing that the more businesses do to become resilient today, the less economic impact the next disaster has on their community down the road.