From Crisis to Collaboration: Harnessing Business Power For Disaster Response

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, May 20, CMC -The facts are clear: the world is experiencing more frequent, less predictable, and more costly extreme weather events. Last year, the hottest in documented history, floods, hurricanes, series of cyclones, cold spells, record-breaking heat waves – all occurred around the world, and many were labelled as “once-in-a-generation events”. Yet these events have one thing in common: they are increasingly extreme and destructive, often beyond expectations and predictions.

Disaster caused by Hurricane Beryl in 2024 (UN Photo)Consider Hurricane Beryl, the earliest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin during the 2024 season, which defied expectations with its intensity and timing. A Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) estimated damages at US$220 million in Grenada and US$321 million in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with recovery efforts targeting key sectors such as housing, agriculture, education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Or take the two hurricanes that struck Cuba within a short span last year, compounding destruction and severely straining the country’s capacity to respond and recover. These back-to-back emergencies underscore just how vulnerable communities in the region are to the escalating impacts of climate-related emergencies.

We must do things differently. We have to tear down siloes and revisit old ways of doing things so as to embrace a collaborative approach to better prepare for, respond to and recover from such crises. There can be no “us” and “them”. We must work better together across sectors, with governments, United Nations (UN) agencies, disaster response organizations and businesses combining skills and resources to save lives, livelihoods, and foster more resilient societies.

Every year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reviews humanitarian needs and prepares a projection for what the world might expect in the year ahead. The resulting document, the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 paints a bleak picture:

The gap between what is needed and support available is wider than ever. It’s predicted that 305 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year – which translates to more than double the population of Mexico! – due to more frequent and extreme weather events, conflicts and forced displacements, the ongoing impacts of the war on Ukraine and in the Middle East. Or, increasingly, a complex, layered combination of the above, in a current context of international turmoil. That’s why we need all-hands-on deck.

The good news is that the private sector is ready and willing, and often already engaging in disaster management. Companies take action to protect their employees and their operations, or as part of corporate social responsibility initiatives. Chambers of commerce and business networks are also addressing risk management and the impacts of climate change. And more and more often, we see examples of collaboration between public and private sectors for greater disaster resilience. In Latin America and the Caribbean, for instance:

Supporting the response efforts for Hurricane Beryl last year, the chambers of commerce from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago set up donation drives to consolidate financial and in-kind contributions from the local private sector, working closely with the Network of Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM) and governments.

Desafío Levantemos Chile mobilized within 12 hours of the wildfires that started in early 2024, to distribute debris removal kits and assess the needs. Managing over 500 volunteers, they ran response efforts in parallel to early recover projects ranging from rebuilding schools to providing psycho-emotional support for children, small business support, and more. By July, Desafío had mobilized over USD12 million through individual donations and support from 697 companies and reached close to 151,000 people.

When Hurricane Otis took the world by world by surprise and devastated Acapulco and adjacent areas in 2023, the Centro Nacional de Apoyo para Contingencias Epidemiológicas y Desastres (CENACED) in Mexico coordinated with 180 allies to mobilize over 8,300 tons of humanitarian aid, provided more than 1.9 million hot meals to affected people, and set up 80 collection centers around the country.

Hombro a Hombro in Peru provided heavy machinery, logistical support and training for municipalities  in response to heavy flooding and historical dengue fever cases as well as in preparation for El Niño.

Initiatives exist to catalyse collaboration between businesses, governments, and disaster response organizations. The Connecting Business Initiative (CBI),  a joint programme between OCHA and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), brings together private sector networks from some of the world’s most at-risk countries and regions.

The team provides technical support and catalytic funding but also enables peer-to-peer learning opportunities and sharing of good practices. In 2024, CBi and its 20 Member Networks responded to 30 crises, mobilized more than US$16.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions, and reached over 4.4 million people. That’s the power of business.

And these collaborative efforts don’t just respond to crises. They also catalyse preparedness and pave the way for stronger recovery in the aftermath of a disaster.

Even so, this is just the tip of the (melting) iceberg of potential. Fortune 500 companies, startups, national oil and gas companies or mining companies, insurance firms, and everything in-between.

Everyone has a vested interest in investing in climate adaptation and mitigation as well as broader disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Crises don’t care about borders or arbitrary categories, as we are seeing more and more often and despite generally affecting women and girls  more than others.

The only thing worse than not being proactive in how we work together to deal with our ever-increasingly risky environment, is to let all interested parties act in an uncoordinated way.

If you’re a business, you can work on a business continuity plan as well as ensure you know how to keep your employees, their families, and your supply chain safe when – not if – the next crisis hits. You can also offer in-kind or financial support to your chamber of commerce or other partner of choice, to be an active part of the solution.

As for governments, we hope they will all work within their own contexts to see how best to connect with business federations and private sector networks to harness the power of business as an integral part of their national disaster management operations.

We should all be part of the human collective that rises to face crises and emerges more resilient. But let’s not forget– that when a crisis strikes, it’s already too late to start planning or exchanging business cards with key strategic partners. The time to act is now.

Shelley Cheatham, Head of Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Kareem Elbayar, Programme Coordinator for the Connecting Business initiative.