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<br /> <br />. While most larger businesses carried insurance, one of every six small businesses <br />reported having no business insurance, Furthennore, while most businesses reported <br />having hability, property and casualty and fire insurance, a significant number were not <br />insured for loss of revenue or floods.' <br /> <br />In summary, small business shouldered a disproportionately high level of losses from this disaster, Small <br />business owners have fewer resources and nverall "coping capabilities" in the aftermath of a major disaster, <br />Yet, the pace of community recovery is typically a partial function of the pace of small business recovery, The <br />reason is straightforward. Small businesses are the job creators in the state and national economy, In North <br />Carohna, for example, three of every five businesses (62 percent) are operated by full-time sole proprietors <br />without paid employees, I <br /> <br /> - --- " Table 3.1 <br /> Industry 1-4 Employees 5-19 20-99 100-499 500+ <br /> All industries 131,080 74,832 51,928 41,027 -74,481 <br /> Manufacturing 3,279 5,583 5,717 -92 -64,210 <br /> Retail trade 25,01' 10,012 13,609 2,097 -9,105 <br />@ Services 68,957 4 1,466 27,409 34,593 -9,862 <br /> "'" <br /> a"" <br /> Other 33,832 '7,772 5,193 4,458 8,696 <br /> <br />North Carolina Wage and Salary Employment Growth <br />Number of jobs created by major industry and employment size of firm (1992-1996) <br /> <br />Impact of Hurricane Floyd on the Agriculture Business Sector <br /> <br />Wbile declining in relation to other economic sectors, agriculture still plays an importanl role in community <br />hfe in North Carolina, The term "agri-business" includes the follmving categories: crop production, livestock <br />production, fisheries (freshwater and saltwater), nurseries, and forest1j: Overall, there are approximately <br />49,000 farms in the stale that employ an estimated 130,000 short- and long-term workers:' <br /> <br />Hurricane Floyd had a major impact on individual farmers in the 6i county region that sustained the most <br />damage. Stale estimates indicate that 30,000 fanns and 90,000 agricultural workers were affected by <br />Hurricane Floyd stateIVide, When damages for all agricultnral categories are tabulated, it is estimated that <br />Hurricane Floyd caused $9i3 milhon in agricultural losses, led by crop damage (55 percent of total losses) <br />and damage to farm facilities (33 percent of total losses) ." <br /> <br />In many respects, Hurricane Floyd was only the latest in a series of events that have weakened the ability of <br />farmers to maintain their livelihood: the drought of 1998-99, the declining market prices for key commodi. <br />ties, on-going problems of re-structuring debt, and the continued decline of hog farming, tobacco farming <br />and other lraditional small business farming practices, Finally, to be stlstainable, agricultul"a! husinesses <br />must adapt to the requirements that are set forth in a variety of state and fedel"a! emironmental and land use <br />regulations that are designed to minimize pollution, maintain water quality standards, and protect the <br />emironment. Compliance can be costly. Yet, as reflected in the case study of a dairy operation near <br />Louisburg, techniques that are designed to minimize emironmental impacts can also minimize flood hazard <br />impacts, <br /> <br />39 <br />