2025 Disaster Recovery Report

In Spring 2025, MDC convened a series of conversations with members of LISC’s Business Development Organization (BDO) Network to explore strategies to support equitable small-business recovery and digital transformation. Through the North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network (NCIDR), these discussions brought together business development leaders to share experiences, identify challenges, and highlight opportunities for strengthening small business ecosystems.

This report summarizes key insights from those conversations, focusing on lessons learned from Western North Carolina organizations navigating post-disaster recovery, community-level strategies and infrastructure that can better prepare businesses before disasters occur, and policy recommendations to strengthen small business development and recovery efforts.

Together, these perspectives offer practical guidance for practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders working to build more resilient, prepared, and equitable small business communities.