Small business recovery and resilience in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey

There is a converging consensus among the scientific community that tropical storm activity will continue to increase in severity, at least in part due to evolving climate change. Given the destructive nature of these tropical storms, it remains of utmost importance how to increase the resiliency and sustainability of communities in hurricane-prone areas. Using detailed data from a large-scale, firm-level survey post-Hurricane Harvey, we identify possible indicators/drivers of recovery and resiliency of small businesses, which are often the lifeblood of local communities. Our descriptive analysis suggests linkages between firm characteristics, financial and operational strategies, access to credit, mitigation actions, damages, and recovery trajectories. Overall, this study provides valuable insight into the role of small businesses in resilience planning and recovery improvement following severe hurricanes.