,COVID/Natural Hazard SME/SMM Survey
Compound Risks – SME Recovery from a Pandemic in the Face of Natural Hazard Risks
Business Recovery/Continuity Collection
Applied Economics Office, EL, NIST
Jennifer Helgeson, Juan Fung, Alfredo Roa Henriquez
Input from
AEO, NIST: Douglas Thomas, David Butry
CRP, NIST: Jarrod Loerzel
NOAA, CPO: Ariela Zycherman, Claudia Nierenberg
NOAA, WRN: Doug Hilderbrand
NOAA Sea Grant: Elizabeth Rohring, Engagement Lead
SBA: Josh Barnes
ECU: Jamie Kruse
We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting your business. We hope to learn how businesses like yours are adapting to the circumstances and how this may or may not be connected to broader weather-related stressors your business may face.
Both your perspective and time are exceptionally precious, especially during these uncertain times. Our efforts will be greatly enhanced if you can spend a few minutes filling out this survey. We ask for no sensitive information and we will not identify you or your business. If your business has more than one location, please answer for only one location.
The purpose of this survey is to understand what support businesses like yours need and to communicate those to those who may be able to provide assistance. We’d like to learn about practices taken that have helped reduce the impact of COVID-19, especially in the face of future hazard events.
If you feel uncomfortable answering any of the questions, you can skip them, or exit the survey at any time.
This survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. You may opt to receive aggregate results of the survey (at the end).
Opening Section
What is your role with the organization? (check all that apply)
Owner
Manager
Assistant manager
Senior employee (5+ years at the business)
Employee
Other [please include your position title]
I do not have a formal role
How many full-time AND part-time individuals did your business employ at this location at this time last year?
1-5
6-10
11-20
21-50
51-100
101-150
151-200
201-250
More than 250
COVID-19 Impact and Adaptation Section
This survey section asks about direct effects of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on your business.
The COVID-19 Pandemic was declared a National Emergency on March 13, 2020. Please answer the following questions considering the period since then.
If there were any public health restrictions (e.g., stay-at-home orders, movement limitations, limits on public gatherings, or requirements for social distancing), is/was your organization designated as:
Essential
Non-essential
Some segments were essential, some were not
Not sure/don’t know
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the continuity/stability of your day-to-day operations? Please check all that apply
Closed to the public
i. Less than 1 week
ii. 1-2 weeks
iii. 2-4 weeks
iv. 4 weeks or longer
On-site operations ceased (or were greatly reduced), but remaining staff teleworked
Reduced days/hours of operation
Increased e-commerce
All staff worked from home
Remained fully open to the public
Added services to business (e.g. contactless pick-up, delivery, etc.)
Other____________
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the operations of your organization since March 13th?
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For one week or less |
For 1-4 weeks |
For more than 4 weeks |
Stopped operations due to external mandate |
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Stopped operations due to financial issues |
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Decrease in revenue |
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Increase in revenue |
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Problems with my supply chain/receiving or shipping inventory |
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|
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Issues with delivery of products to customers |
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Decrease in customers |
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Increase in customers |
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Other |
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N/A |
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What are the most important factors that influenced the choice to temporarily close, change hours, or staffing changes? (Please select no more than 5)
National State of Emergency (1)
Stay/Local stay-at-home orders (2)
Restricted access to the business (3)
Employee safety (4)
Lack of customers (5)
Disruption to supply/inventory delivery (6)
Universities and school closings (7)
Nearby businesses closed (8)
Local government information/suggestion (9)
Fear/concerns of infection (10)
Lack of personal protective equipment and/or cleaning supplies (11)
Staff’s unwillingness to report for work (12)
Media coverage (13)
Tight business margins (14)
Other (15) ________________________________________________
N/A
Please select your most trusted sources of information for COVID-19 (Please select no more than 5)
Local TV news
National TV news
Internet-based news media
Local government (state or municipal)
Community leaders
Radio
Internet sources (outside of news outlets)
Faith-Based community
Friends/family
Social Media
Cellphone apps
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Sectoral/Trade news
Other Federal Government sources
Other ________________________________________________
Since March 13, 2020 has your business REQUESTED/PLANNED use of any of the following financial assistance? (check ALL that apply)
SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) (1)
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) (2)
SBA Debt Relief (3)
USDA Loan Programs (4)
Other Federal Programs (5)
State and Local Government grants/loans (6)
Banks (commercial loan) (7)
Banks (e.g., existing debt flexibility – payment deferments) (8)
Personal liquidity (savings) (9)
Family and Friends (10)
Crowd-funding (11)
Postponment in payment (rent, utilities) (12)
Faith-based group support (13)
Non-profit organization support (14)
Insurance (for business interruption) (15)
Direct lending (e.g., Venture capital, angel investors, Fintech) (16)
Other _____________ (17)
This business has not sought financial assistance from any source (18)
Unsure (19)
N/A (20)
Please describe any changes your organization has made to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic since March 13th. Please check all that apply.
Changed products produced/offered to consumers
Offered contactless pick-up or delivery
Increased e-commerce
Curb-side pick-up made avialable
Prioritized inventories to some customers
Reallocated products based on inventory levels
Increased staff
Reduced staff
Allowed employees (some or all) to work remotely
Negotiated longer payment terms for suppliers so the company can keep its cash longer
Collected money owed from customers as early as possible
Renegotiated current and future prices with my suppliers
Shared resources or information with other organizations
Implemented short-term alliances with my suppliers and/or competition
Other: __________________________
Natural Hazard Section
This section asks you about risks from natural hazards that your organization faces. We are interested in your organization’s experience in the past and planning for them in the future.
What natural hazard(s) is/are of greatest concern for your organization’s location? (select all that apply)
Coastal storms
Drought/water scarcity
Earthquake
Extreme cold
Extreme heat/heat waves
Flooding
Hurricane
Storm surge
Tornado
Tsunami
Wildfire
Winter storms
Since March 13th, 2020 has this/these event types occurred at your location?
Yes, with severe impacts
Yes, with minor impacts
No
Don’t know
N/A
[if 11=yes] How was your organization’s response to this event affected by COVID-19? _____
How many of these hazard events have affected* your organization in the past 10 years? An estimate is fine [slide bar answer response] *caused at least a one-day closure
What type of mitigation/preparedness actions have you taken in the past (before COVID-19) to prepare your organization against natural hazards?
Floodproof building(s)
Secure a secondary storage location
Assess building to ensure construction meets building code standards
Perform risk assessment to identify business vulnerabilities (to specific hazards)
Adopt strategies to stay informed of weather watches and warnings (e.g., NOAA Weather Radio, commercial apps)
Assigned disaster responsibilities (i.e., emergency management function) to specific employees
Perform safety drills regularly (e.g., shelter-in-place, evacuations, telephone tree)
Develop a written emergency action plan/checklist
Back-up all important documents (digitally or stored at secondary location)
Lift inventory and other supplies off the ground to prevent water exposure
Perform an insurance check-up to ensure adequate insurance coverage
Increase insurance coverage, if needed
Develop/update telework plans
Establish or increase remote/online sales capacity
Social media account use to provide operations information to the public (e.g., closings)
Minimize supply chain vulnerability through multiple source strategies
Develop a connection to local emergency management officials
Clear debris/dry vegetation away from structures
Back-up power generation
Maintain/tune-up equipment for debris/snow removal
Keeping an emergency fund (“rainy day” money on-hand)
Other ______
Have any actions your organization has taken to prepare for natural disasters in the past helped prepare or cope with the impacts of COVID-19? Y/N [If yes, please provide some details. For example, insurance purchases, teleworking experience, emergency supplies or finances, etc.)] ________________________________________________
How will your planning for these types of natural hazards change in the future due to the COVID-19 pandemic? ______
Attitudes Section
This section asks about your organization’s future plans.
Please select your organization’s top concerns regarding the impact of and recovery from COVID-19. (Please select up to 5, below)
Compound Events
Hurricane risk and potential impacts
Flood risk and potential impacts
Earthquake risk and potential impacts
Wildfire risk and potential impacts
Tornado risk and potential impacts
Other natural hazard risk and potential impacts
Business Financial, Market Concerns
Financial impact on operations, and/or liquidity, capital
Going out of business
Lower productivity
Domestic supply chain disruption
Loss of funding (governmental and non-profit organizations)
Operational issues associated with restarting
Loss of market share
International supply chain disruptions
COVID-19 Specific Concerns
The duration of lock-down and quarantine period
Uncertainty over recurring Covid-19 outbreaks in the future
Safety/contamination issues from shutdown infrasturure (e.g., water sitting in pipes)
Safety/contamination issues from working with reopening during social distancing
Workforce Concerns
Workforce safety to protect employees from infection
Workforce reduction concerns
Rehiring, replacing, and retraining workforce upon reopening
Consumer Concern
Decreased consumer confidence and spending
Global Concerns
Global recession
Impacts on tariff and trade issues
Increased international political controversy
Have you implemented steps to reduce your risks to the issues you indicated above? If yes, how? _______
Yes, already implemented
Yes, in the process of implementation
Yes, planning to implement
No, but would like to learn more
No, do not plan to do so
Unsure
Do you feel you have the resources you need to protect your business against the risks you identified above?
Yes
No
Unsure
[if 19=no] What resources, knowledge, or support do you feel you need to be better protected against the risks you identified ?
How much time do you think will pass before this business returns to its pre-COVID conditions (e.g., operations)? [slide bar or multichoice?]
1 month or less
2-3 months
4-6 months
6-12 months
12-18 months
More than 18 months
Unlikely to resume operations at that level
Unlikely to reopen at all
BUSINESS INFORMATION SECTION
This section asks you to provide some details about your organization and yourself.
Which sector best describes your business?
Construction (1)
Manufacturing (2)
Retail trade (3)
Accommodation and Food Services (4)
Wholesale trade (5)
Transportation and Warehousing (6)
Finance and Insurance (7)
Information (e.g. radio, newspaper, television, telecommunications) (8)
Real estate, rentals, and leasing (9)
Professional, scientific, and technical services (10)
Health and medical services (11)
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (12)
Food processing, agriculture (13)
Natural resource management (14)
Fuel production (15)
Fishing/aquaculture (16)
Other (please specify) (17) ________________________________________________
When was your organization founded? [dropdown]
In which state is your organization located? [dropdown]
In which ZIP code is your organization located? [type in]
How would you describe this organization? Check ALL options that describe the business:
Woman-owned business (1) * (the business need not be Federally registered as such)
Minority-owned (2) * (the business need not be Federally registered as such)
Veteran-owned (3) * (the business need not be Federally registered as such)
Family-owned (5) * (the business need not be Federally registered as such)
Single owner (6)
Partnership (7)
Corporation (8)
Franchise (9)
Cooperative (10)
Multi-location (11)
For-profit (12)
Non-profit (13)
Other (14) ________________________________________________
How important are each group to your organization’s recovery from COVID-19?
Group |
Importance to Organization 1= Least Important 5= Most Important |
Your neighbors |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Friends and family |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Neighborhood organization(s) |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Suppliers |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Customers |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Business Groups (e.g. Chamber of Commerce) |
1 2 3 4 5 |
State Organization(s) |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Federal Organization(s) |
1 2 3 4 5 |
NOAA Sea Grant |
1 2 3 4 5 |
NOAA Weather Ready Nation |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Faith-based organization(s) |
1 2 3 4 5 |
other ________ |
1 2 3 4 5 |
How many years have you worked as a business owner/manager? _____________ (years)
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
COVID-19 posed the greatest risk yet to my organization’s survival {1-5}
The impacts of COVID-19 will leave my organization unable to cope with a natural disaster, should one occur, in the next year {1-5}
Closing Section
Please consider providing your first name and the best business email address, below. We’d like to follow-up with you on your responses and send a report of the findings.
Name: _____________
Business email:
Is there anything else you would like to share? _________________
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMPLETING THE SURVEY!
This collection of information contains Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requirements approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. For this collection, the OMB Control number is: 0693-0078 with an expiration date: July 31, 2022. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to be 10 minutes per survey, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn: Dr. Jennifer Helgeson, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8603, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1710, telephone 301-975-6133, or via email: jennifer.helgeson@nist.gov.
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File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
Author | Roa Henriquez, Alfredo R. (IntlAssoc) |
File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
File Created | 2024-07-20 |