Atlas, how to improve small businesses’ resilience in case of disasters

Atlas: Ready for Business is a global mobile application that supports micro, small, and medium sized business owners in preparing their business for disasters. 

When hazards hit, small businesses can be particularly impacted across formal and informal sectors. They need support to plan for economic recovery – to provide employment, provide necessary goods and services, and create social cohesion for overall community resilience. This includes equipping micro, small, and medium sized businesses (MSMEs) with the tools to plan, adapt, and be resilient in the face of hazards.

Atlas: Ready for Business is a free mobile app that was developed by the Global Disaster Preparedness Center as a tool to help MSMEs prepare for disasters. It guides business owners on a user-friendly, step-by-step approach to building business resilience. Based on each user’s inputs, Atlas generates a personalized journey through the app and a shareable Business Continuity Plan as the final output – which can be used to exercise disaster readiness and educate staff. Currently available in 18 languages, the app can be downloaded in the Apple Store and Google Play by searching ‘Atlas: Ready for Business.’

Features: 

• Interactive features, including a Chatbot that helps the user through their unique journey towards resilience
• Learn, practice, and improve operational readiness, networking and relationships, change readiness, leadership and culture, and employee resilience
• Guided reflections to assess your readiness for a disaster
• Ability to allow business owners and managers to assign tasks to another employee
• Help content and resources to assist on your journey towards resilience
• A user-friendly dashboard to track progress
• An auto-generated Crisis and Recovery Plan, similar to a business continuity plan, that can be stored in the user’s cloud and shared with others to use during a disaster
• Content adapts to user needs based on size and type of business, as well as location

Atlas has been rolled-out globally in partnership with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other networks of small businesses, such as chambers of commerce and trade organizations. Piloted in Uganda, there were 500+ downloads and Red Cross volunteers visited over 5.300 businesses to help people to be better prepared in case of disaster. See a video highlighting its success.

Recently, due to the socio-economic crisis brought on by COVID-19, Atlas was piloted by Ecuador, El Salvador, and Peru in partnership with the Red Cross Livelihoods Center. Additionally, it is in the pilot project process led by PIRAC across Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Lucia.