The days between damage and reopening

Letter from the table · RC/RS/2026/T.30 · 1 October 2026

To the Resilience Council,

I co-signed the Reopen Standard because I know how quickly a damaged room becomes a business that cannot work—and how slowly the money and decisions needed to reopen can arrive. I support the purpose of RS-001. My stance is amend.

On 18 August, after overnight flooding in my part of Santo Domingo, water entered my small premises. I am not writing about a spectacular loss. I am writing about the ordinary costs that kept adding up while I tried to get back to work. Cleanup and disposal came to about RD$22,800. Repairs and replacement of damaged equipment were RD$64,500. The monthly rent was RD$38,000, still due while the premises could not be used. I paid RD$45,000 from savings and borrowed another RD$30,000 from family. Those amounts covered only part of the immediate hole.

I took photographs, kept receipts, and notified my insurer. I also followed public information from the Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias (COE) and sought local guidance from the ayuntamiento. I understand the different roles: the COE coordinates emergency operations; the municipal government is not my insurer; and the Superintendencia de Seguros is not the body that adjusts an individual claim. The laws matter too. Law 147-02 establishes the country’s national system for disaster prevention, mitigation and response. Law 146-02 governs insurance and bonds. Knowing that framework did not tell me when I could safely spend money I did not have, or when the claim would be decided.

My claim was still under review as I tried to reopen. I do not blame one person for that. A loss has to be checked, documents have to be assessed, and a decision must be defensible. But a small business cannot pause rent, household expenses, and suppliers while an open-ended process runs. I was trying to make two decisions at once: what repairs were essential now, and what I could afford to do before I knew what the policy would cover.

That is why I want the Council to keep the Standard’s two central promises: an insurance claim decision within 30 days, and bridge funding within 10 days of a declared disaster. A deadline gives the owner a point to plan around. Early bridge support can keep a temporary interruption from turning into a permanent closure. The need is not marginal: UNDRR reports that small and medium-sized enterprises bear about 75% of business disaster losses.¹

But I ask the Council to amend the draft so that these promises can be applied fairly and clearly. First, define the 30-day clock. It should start when the owner submits a short, published list of minimum documents—not when an insurer later decides the file is complete. If something essential is missing, the insurer should identify it promptly and specifically. Otherwise, “30 days” could become a deadline that keeps moving beyond the owner’s control.

Second, explain what the 10-day bridge-funding promise means in practice. It should be a route to modest, quick continuity support after an officially declared disaster, with simple proof of identity, business activity and immediate need. It should not require the owner to wait for a final insurance adjustment. Where insurance later pays for the same loss, the rules can explain how the overlap is handled. And the Standard should say who is responsible for making the support available; an insurer’s claims process and a public emergency-support mechanism are not interchangeable.

Third, make continuity planning practical for micro businesses. Before a flood, many of us need a short checklist: where to keep records, how to protect essential documents, whom to contact, and how to make a safe

reopening decision. Afterward, we need help understanding which records to retain and what steps can be taken before a full repair is possible. Advice should be accessible without requiring a consultant or a dedicated risk manager.

A deadline is not a promise that every claim will be paid. It is a promise that an owner will not be left waiting without a decision or a clear next step.

Notes and sources

1. UNDRR, “Supporting disaster risk reduction and resilience practices of small and medium-sized enterprises.” ↩

Sources

1. UNDRR — Supporting disaster risk reduction and resilience practices of small and medium-sized enterprises