W.A.C.E. Webinar Recap: Is Your Chamber Ready to Lead When Your Community Needs You Most?

In the face of an unexpected disaster, a community looks to its leaders. This is a critical time when your Chamber of Commerce can—and should—step up to guide and support local businesses. The key to fulfilling this vital role is preparation. As experts in a recent W.A.C.E. webinar emphasized, it’s not a matter of if a disaster will strike, but when.
The "Preparing Your Members for Disasters - Resources & Best Practices for Chambers" webinar, the first in the 2025-2026 W.A.C.E. webinar series, brought together a panel of experts to discuss how chambers can position themselves as a trusted resource and leader for their community and members during and after a disaster.

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Presenters for this webinar included:

• Gail Moraton, Business Resilience Manager at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Gail specializes in creating accessible, real-world solutions for operational resilience. She leads the development of tools and resources, including the "Open for Business EZ" (OFBEZ) and "Easy Prep" toolkits, which are designed to help small and mid-sized organizations stay open during and after disasters.
  
• Lorraine Clarno, President/CEO of the Kalispell Chamber: With over 30 years of experience in the Chamber of Commerce world, Lorraine brought her firsthand experience in leading a chamber's disaster preparedness efforts. She shared how her chamber built a case for disaster preparedness to address significant natural hazards and infrastructure vulnerabilities in their community.
  
• John Bwarie, CEO of the Alhambra and Temple City Chambers of Commerce: Having spent two decades building coalitions related to natural hazard resilience, John’s personal experience with the 1994 Northridge earthquake galvanized his commitment to small business recovery. He highlighted the importance of community connectivity and how chambers can serve as a vital link between businesses and civic institutions before a disaster strikes.
  

The presenters shared valuable insights and practical resources to help Chambers and their members prepare for the unexpected. Some key takeaways included:

• Start with Your Own Chamber: Before you can help your members, your chamber must have its own business continuity plan. If your chamber can't function, its members lose access to the resources, leadership, and stability they rely on.
• Actionable Resources Are Available: The IBHS offers free, practical toolkits like "Open for Business EZ" and "Easy Prep" that chambers can use to develop their own plans and share with their members. These resources are designed to be simple, practical, and doable, focusing on key functions like people, files, and critical operations.
• Build a Coalition of Trust: Chambers don't have to be the sole experts. Building trust in the community is crucial for effective disaster response. The webinar explored how to partner with trusted figures and agencies, such as fire departments, faith leaders, and long-standing local businesses, to amplify your message and encourage member participation.
• ​The Power of Peer-to-Peer Learning: Connecting with other chambers, even in different regions, can be a powerful way to share best practices and hold each other accountable for preparedness efforts. A disaster knows no city or chamber boundary, making regional and inter-organizational partnerships essential for coordinated response and recovery.

This webinar is a must-see for any chamber leader who wants to strengthen their community's resilience. The insights and resources shared by our presenters provide a clear roadmap for preparing for the future.
Our next webinar will be October 8th and cover the timely topic of tariffs, and how to help your member businesses navigate economic uncertainty. To gain access to  the full recording of our September webinar and purchase future sessions in the W.A.C.E. series, visit www.waceonline.com/webinars.html.