Emergency management
Ensuring the business community is prepared for major disasters is a key part of South Carolina's commitment to supporting companies from launch to legacy. Disasters — whether natural, man‑made or technological — disrupt normal operations and create major impacts for businesses of every size. According to FEMA, roughly 40% of small businesses never reopen following a disaster, and an additional 25% close within a year.
South Carolina supports businesses with disaster preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery, providing the resources communities and companies need to get back to work quickly.
Programs for business continuity
As defined by the Business Continuity Institute, business continuity is having a plan in place to deal with difficult situations, including cyberattacks, natural disasters, pandemics and more, so organizations can continue to function with as little disruption as possible.
- Do you have a continuity of operations plan for your company?
- Do your employees have access to the plan?
- Have you exercised the plan?
- When was the last time it was updated?
South Carolina connects local businesses to business continuity experts and resources to help begin or update existing plans.
Here are some resources to get started.
Emergency support function (ESF)-24
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines an ESF as the structure for coordinating interagency support in response to an incident, and each ESF is aimed at a particular aspect of disaster response. In South Carolina, ESF-24 specifically supports business and industry—a newer, but vital, aspect of disaster response.
SC Commerce is the coordinating agency for ESF-24, which is made up of 12 agencies and organizations that support the business community. ESF-24 represents South Carolina businesses in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) during disasters and is available around the clock to answer any questions or concerns.
Get ESF-24 alerts
Join the ESF-24 email list for quarterly newsletters and disaster/non-disaster alerts.
SC emergency business resources dashboard
The SC Emergency Business Resources Dashboard is a one-stop shop for information during times of disaster, offering real-time updates on power outages, road and bridge closures, available shelter locations, executive orders and more. No login is required. Information is updated in real time and directs users to the most appropriate sources as needed. Be sure to bookmark this page as part of your emergency preparedness planning, and share it with your employees, suppliers and business partners.
SC business reentry program
The SC Business Reentry Program enables businesses in areas under curfew or evacuation orders to reopen before the community returns. This program is available to any business that is registered and found in good standing with the SC Secretary of State’s Office. Registration is free and takes less than five minutes to complete. Once completed, you will receive a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) applicable for three years.
Please note: South Carolina operates under Home Rule in which local governments have the authority to provide local solutions, so access and reentry are ultimately decided at the local level, based on current conditions and safety measures.
