This is a follow-up to the 2007 small business survey and provides further insight as to the progress of recovery from the hurricanes of 2005. As with the 2007 survey, this year’s survey asked small business owners and operators about the changing state of their business since the 2005 hurricanes, and since August of 2007.

This report sheds additional light on the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the storms of 2005 on individuals, businesses, and communities of the Gulf Coast, using datasets previously not used for such purposes.

The first PERC survey of small businesses in New Orleans and other FEMA-declared disaster areas in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes finds disparate impacts among different segments of business owners. The results also yield insights into the efficacy of existing recovery policy, and identify policy shortcomings and unmet needs.