Floods are among the most common and costly hazards businesses face, and the 2026/27 El Niño is expected to bring heavier rain and flooding to parts of Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Small businesses are hit hardest and recover slowest, yet much of the damage can be reduced with simple steps taken before the water arrives.
This guide helps any business, from a market stall to a company with sites in several countries, prepare for a flood, act during one and get back to business afterwards. It is built around five areas: protecting people, protecting premises, stock and equipment, protecting data and documents, keeping customers and suppliers informed, and keeping the business going through continuity planning, insurance and recovery. Each area comes with a checklist for before the flood season, when a warning is issued, during a flood and after it. A short trigger table helps businesses decide in advance what they will do at each stage of warning, and a two-page flood plan at the back can be filled in and kept in a grab bag.
The guide also explains why no business should prepare or respond alone, and how to connect with national disaster management authorities through business associations and chambers, many of which are CBI Member Networks.
Developed by the OCHA-UNDP Connecting Business Initiative with input from CBI Member Networks, the guide builds on A-PAD Sri Lanka’s Business Guide to Floods and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation’s Safe in a Storm guidance. It was launched on 13 October 2026, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.