While a majority of large businesses have
contingency plans for a pandemic or other catastrophe in place, many
small to medium companies do not, which can result in their demise in
the wake of a disaster, according to experts.
"Small businesses that don't have a plan in place
generally don't survive after a disaster, whether it's a flood or a
tornado. We see that anywhere from 40-60 percent of those that are hit
like that simply don't come back to business," said David Paulison,
former executive director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) in a phone conference with NU Online.
