Outsmart Disaster Moves to CalOSBA with a New Website
Outsmart Disaster is a statewide awareness campaign that is focused primarily on providing California businesses with the resources they need to adequately prepare for and recover from all types of disasters. The Outsmart Disaster concept was originally conceived in 2018 as a state-led tool to help businesses and communities prepare for the next big earthquake. With the support of funders such as JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Edison International, plus approximately $782,000 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding provided by U.S. Economic Development Agency, the program evolved to help Californians prepare for all types of disasters under the leadership of California’s Business Consumer Services and Housing Agency, with administrative management by The California Academy for Economic Development.
Effective Fall 2022, The California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), assumed leadership of Outsmart Disaster and relaunched a new campaign web portal featuring the Resilient Business Challenge (RBC) virtual training to promote disaster preparedness and proactive resiliency training.
The Resilient Business Challenge (RBC) is a virtual, no-cost, self-guided training that helps businesses:
- Identify their risks
- Document business functions and the impacts of potential disruption
- Strengthen facilities and safeguard data and assets in case of a natural disaster
- Maintain relationships with vendors, partners, and employees during business interruptions
- Understand insurance policies and evaluate financial resiliency in case of interruption
- Document contingency options
“Small businesses, especially those in isolated rural areas, are extremely vulnerable to any kind of business interruption, be it a pandemic, a wildfire, or a drought. Our office is committed to helping small business owners to prepare as best they can for unexpected events, and to help mitigate the increasing risks, be it from natural disaster or supply-chain interruptions,” said Tara Lynn Gray, Director of CalOSBA.
CalOSBA will staff this effort in 2023 to develop hands-on versions of the Resilient Business Challenge for face-to-face trainings in rural communities, as well as, launching a train-the-trainer program to help local organizations such as Chambers of Commerce and Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) better communicate about disaster preparedness to member businesses.
To take the RBC, or to learn more about the Outsmart Disaster Campaign, please visit the CalOSBA website at: outsmartdisaster.calosba.ca.gov .
