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When disaster hits your local area, help your business get back on track with a digital recovery plan.
Our city of Bundaberg has just been through a major flood event. As a local business ourselves, we’ve watched our community deal with the very real and immediate aftermath – waterlogged premises, closed business doors, and the enormous task of cleaning up and getting back on their feet.
Some of those businesses are our own clients, and it’s warmed our hearts to see the lengths people will go to help each other. It’s been a tough time for many, and we have nothing but admiration for every business owner who has rolled up their sleeves and got on with the recovery.
As we primarily work in the online world, we’ve also paid special attention to how some businesses have used their digital presence to bring their community along for the journey. By communicating openly and regularly, they’ve kept customers informed, attracted genuine local media coverage, and seen their community rally around them in really meaningful ways.
It’s inspired us to put together this guide – a practical digital disaster recovery plan so that every local business has a clear path to follow when the worst happens. Because when you’re in the middle of a crisis, the last thing you want to be doing is figuring out a strategy when there is already so much to attend to.
The moment a disaster starts to ease, and it’s safe to do so, your digital presence can become one of your most valuable tools. Your customers care about you and want to know how you’re doing. Make it easy for them to find that information and to show their support.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the first places customers check. Update your trading hours, add a post explaining the situation, and if you’re temporarily closed, mark it as such rather than leaving people guessing. A simple, honest update like, “We’ve been affected by the recent flooding. We’re working hard to reopen and will keep you posted here”, goes a long way.
Disaster doesn’t need a polished campaign; a genuine post, even a photo of the clean-up in progress with a short update, builds enormous community goodwill and keeps your audience engaged. These are also the posts that attract local media attention. Journalists covering disaster recovery actively seek local business stories, and an authentic social media presence gives them a direct line to yours.
If possible, add a prominent banner or message on your homepage to let users know what’s happening and how to reach you. Keep it simple: your current status, when you expect to reopen (even a rough estimate), and an alternative contact method if your phone lines are affected. Your web developer can do this quickly - it should take no more than an hour.
Add a reminder to take this down when you reopen!
If you have an email list, use it. This is precisely what it’s for. A short, personal email to your customers explaining the situation, thanking them for their patience, and giving them a way to support you (buying gift cards, online orders, or sharing your posts) can generate an immediate and meaningful response.
Once the initial chaos settles, the focus shifts to maintaining momentum and rebuilding customer confidence. Consistency is very helpful here; regular updates telling customers you’re still in business and working hard, and things should be back to normal soon, will go a long way.
Aim for at least two to three social media updates per week during the recovery period. Document your progress with posts such as before and after photos, milestones like “electrics are back on” or “stock arriving Thursday”, and thank you messages for community support. They keep your customers and clients updated on your progress, and when they can be ready to engage your services, expect shipments, and shop at your premises. These posts also tend to perform very well organically and keep your community invested in the recovery.
If local media covers your story, share it everywhere - your website, social channels, Google Business Profile posts, and email list. Media coverage builds trust and signals to both customers and search engines that your business is active and noteworthy. Save all coverage for use in future marketing.
People genuinely want to support local businesses during recovery, but they often don’t know how. Make it easy: ask them to share or engage with your posts, leave a Google review, or anything else practical that’s right for your business. A direct and specific ask is far more effective than a general “please support us.”
Make sure all your online directories reflect your current trading status and hours. These could include:
We want to avoid inconsistent details online or customers showing up to find your shop closed (not a great experience).
Once you’re back on your feet, the groundwork you’ve laid during the recovery can become a business asset if you take advantage of the momentum you’ve built.
A blog post or social media story about what happened, how you handled it, and what you learned is powerful content. It’s authentic, it’s human, and it can help other businesses and customers understand your journey. Posts like this also perform well with both your audience and in search results, and cements your position as a resilient and trustworthy local business.
Send a follow-up email to customers who supported you and ask them to share their experience on Google. Most customers are happy to support your business, especially when you’re in disaster recovery. Reviews build your local search ranking and give confidence to future customers.
Remember that reviews are currently the number one driver of rankings in local maps listings, so you really want these.
Now is the time to make sure this never costs you more than it has to again. Here’s what we would recommend.
Store your company files in a secure online location, ensuring more than one person has access. It’s great to use this as your central repository, or at a minimum, ensure you back up all files monthly (if you can’t automate it). You can host them in places such as:
Ensure your website is backed up automatically, and you have easy access. If you believe your business is prone to needing to alert customers – whether you’re located in a flood zone, in a disaster-prone area, or have time-sensitive alerts – it may be a good idea to invest in setting up an alert bar on your website now so it’s ready to go when needed.
Like your company files, it’s a good idea to store your brand assets, such as logos, photos, templates, and ad creatives, in a shared cloud folder and make sure more than one person in your business has access.
While moving everything online might seem like an easy drag-and-drop, it’s a good idea to ensure critical team members have access and understand your disaster plan. If your internet or communication access is cut, will they be able to jump in to alert customers of the current situation on your behalf? Managing access to critical platforms is an important step to ensure that it’s not all resting on your shoulders.
A little preparation now saves an enormous amount of pain later.
Immediate response (Day 1–2)
Recovery phase (Week 1–2)
Long-term rebuild (Month 1+)
We work with local businesses on everything from websites and SEO to Google Business Profile management, social media, and digital marketing strategy. If the recent flooding has highlighted gaps in your digital preparedness, or if you simply want to ensure you’re set up to communicate clearly and recover quickly when the next challenge arrives, we’d love to have a conversation.
Reach out to us today. Let’s make sure your business is ready for whatever comes next.
