Disaster recovery and business continuity after the 2010 flood in Pakistan: Case of small businesses

Conducted six months after the 2010 flood in Pakistan in nine severely impacted districts, this study explores the impacts of this flood on small businesses and factors that influenced their disaster recovery. Findings show that ninety percent of the sample businesses re-opened six months after the flood, but majority of them were operating with loss, while only a small number is at the same level or better off. Average monthly sale, past disaster experience, dependency on water, dependency on transportation, personal saving, damage to business facility, damage to shelf items/inventory, disruption in supply chain, damage to lifelines, knowing the recovery priorities, family and friends support, staff engagement and involvement in the recovery had significant impacts on the recovery time. The results suggest that provision of minimum government and non-governmental supports can enhance the speed, quality and sustainability of the small businesses disaster recovery.