When Chennai faced its worst flood in a century on December 1st 2015, 10,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) experienced a total of $250 million in damage over two weeks. These firms are part of a manufacturing sector that employs over 360,000 individuals and contributes $3.13billion to the Chennai Metropolitan Area’s GDP, and 3% to the national total. The study highlights the imperative for development actors to build resilience of MSMEs in contexts of rapid urbanization, given their importance to urban and national economies, and given their unique vulnerabilities in the face of rising environmental shocks.