Report: 52 percent of small businesses lost revenue during Sandy

About 52 percent of small businesses  in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey lost sales or revenue as a result of Hurricane Sandy, according to a report by The Hartford insurance group.

Of the 451 businesses surveyed, 71 percent experienced a power outage and 74 percent had to close their doors for a period of time. Only 11 percent of those surveyed had structural property damage.

“Our research shows that loss of connectivity had a big impact on small business owners, which affected their ability to contact customers and keep their businesses open,” said Ray Sprague, a senior vice president at The Hartford, in a press release. “We have found that small businesses who take the steps to prepare and protect the business, such as establishing emergency communication systems and backing up critical data, tend to be the ones that can prevail after weather emergencies.”

One in four businesses before the storm had backed up critical data and programs and 20 percent prepared an emergency kit with flashlights and water before hand, according to the survey.

About 151 companies were surveyed in Connecticut in Fairfield, Middlesex and New Haven counties.