Administrator Guzman: “Our small businesses depend on neighborhoods to survive and thrive as neighbors are their customers and employees. That is why the SBA helps entire communities - homeowners, renters, nonprofits, and businesses - become more resilient and recover swiftly from disasters.” With the start of hurricane season officially upon us, it is more important than ever for residents and small businesses to remember that the best course of action to limit damage from natural disasters is preparing before the disaster hits. Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, underscored this critical point and the need for equity, mitigation, and preparedness efforts as part of the annual Hurricane Preparedness and Actions briefing for President Biden. During her tenure, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has been at the forefront of ensuring small businesses, nonprofits, as well as individual homeowners and renters impacted by natural disasters around the nation have the support and recovery relief that they need, and the tools to build resilience.

Natural disasters are not just more devastating; they are also coming faster, more frequently, and are often rapidly changing in their complexity and scope. In 2020, the United States suffered 22 separate billion-dollar disasters —the most in our history— but experts in the space expect that number to continue to climb. Fighting climate change and preparing America to adapt to its impacts has been and will remain a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration - and supporting that readiness is a critical component of the SBA’s work under Administrator Guzman.