Recent disasters drive SMEs in Barcelona to take resilience building into their own hands
The impacts of the deadly DANA storms and floods in Valencia in 2024 and the 2025 blackout across the Iberian peninsula have influenced over 40 SMEs in the Barcelona metropolitan area, particularly in the local commerce and tourism sectors, to take action on safeguarding their resilience by creating Business Continuity Plans (BCPs).
Barcelona, July 30, 2025 -
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of Barcelona's local economy - making up 95% of all businesses - but they're also among the most vulnerable to crises like heatwaves, blackouts, floods, and droughts. When a major blackout hit in 2025, it left 645,000 customers without power and cost Catalan SMEs an estimated €900 million. Similarly, Storm Gloria in 2020 led to over 1,500 insurance claims from small businesses across the province.
In response, UNDRR, together with Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Barcelona Comerç, and with support from the Sant Boi de Llobregat City Council, the Catalan Facility Management Association (ACFM), AGERS - Asociación Española de Gerencia de Riesgos y Seguros, IQS and other entities, have been working together to strengthen the disaster resilience of SMEs by enhancing their capacity to plan, invest and make risk-informed decisions.
In July, a series of training sessions and hands-on workshops - open to all SMEs in the region - were held both online and in person. Participants received technical guidance and tailored template to help them draft and refine their own BCPs.
Many noted that while they had already taken individual measures - such as installing backup generators, adopting ad hoc protocols, or securing insurance plans - these efforts were often fragmented. Developing a formal Business Continuity Plan offers a structured framework to consolidate and strengthen their resilience building efforts.
Tourism Sector Driving Resilience
The initiative has gained momentum in the tourism sector, supported by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the "Compromís per a la Sostenibilitat Turística Barcelona" initiative - a programme led by Barcelona City Council, the Turisme de Barcelona Consortium, and the Chamber itself. Participating tourism businesses are now receiving training to develop tailored BCPs aligned with their sustainability goals.
As part of this effort, UNDRR and the Chamber of Commerce are also offering tailored support to MSMEs in the tourism sector, helping them to identify, assess, and manage disaster and climate risks within their operations.
"During the blackout and other crises like the DANA storms, many tourism businesses had to improvise. We're now working with UNDRR, the City Council, and Turisme de Barcelona to equip them with practical tools to enhance their response capacity, in line with the sustainability goals of the sector," explain Marga Obama and Leonie Hehn, project managers at the Chamber of Commerce.
"The Business Continuity Plan for our small guesthouse - housed in a protected modernist building in central Barcelona - is proving to be very worthwhile. It aligns with our business philosophy of always anticipating potential disruptions so we can safeguard both our guests and our team, ensuring their safety and well‑being", said Lorenzo Lopez, General Manager of Hostal Girona 1888.
The initiative remains open to other organizations committed to supporting SME resilience, helping them to better prepare for, respond to, recover from, and learn from disruptions, following a comprehensive, all-hazards approach to resilience.
About the global program
UNDRR is leading an initiative to strengthen SME disaster resilience in three pilot cities: Barcelona (Spain), Bridgetown (Barbados), and Sendai (Japan). By engaging both public and private actors, the program aims to help SMEs make informed decisions about risk, and to plan and invest in disaster risk reduction and organizational resilience.