Alarm. Worry. Wilma is coming!. Calm. Wilma missed us. Back to business as usual. But think for a minute, and you may come to the conclusion that one of these days we may be in the same situation as the folks in New Orleans, Biloxi, and Ft. Lauderdale. Roof blown off, flooded, no power. How does a business survive?
As I researched the internet for this issue, I came to the conclusion that the best way to prepare is to give the storm some thought before it's on the news. One of the best sites is the Small Business Administration's at:
http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/prepared/getready.html
Some of the highlights from this document -
- The best time to respond to a disaster is before it happens. A relatively small investment of time and money now may prevent severe damage and disruption of life and business in the future. Every area in the country is subject to some kind of disaster � flood, hurricane, earthquake, ice storm, and landslide, to name a few. Even man-made disasters � oil spill, civil unrest, fire, etc. � can devastate the surrounding neighborhood and economy. Even though an area has never been damaged before, there is no guarantee that it will not happen tomorrow.
- Ask yourself: what if the worst happened? How would it affect my business and my family? Would we survive if the business were closed down for weeks, months, or perhaps my entire revenue season? What can I do to make sure we survive?
- Be a little pessimistic now, and assume it CAN happen to you. Develop a Disaster Plan for your home or business now so you can rest a little more easily in the future. You should think about:
A DISASTER PLANNING TOOLKIT
- Identify the hazards you may face
- Plan for and reduce the impact of disasters
- Keep your doors open after a disaster hits
- Advise you on insurance, disaster supplies and the things you can do to make your business more disaster resistant
FACILITIES-BUILDINGS & EQUIPMENT
- What would we do if our facility were closed for several days, damaged or even totally destroyed?
- What could we absolutely not survive without? Production machinery? Computers? Custom-made parts? The buildings? What can I do to assure I never have to live without them?
FACILITIES TIPS
Develop contingency plans to remain in operation if your office, plant, or store is unusable. Could you operate out of your home or a nearby storefront? Could you quickly transport critical items such as computers, inventory, and equipment? Could you save replaced equipment and reactivate it in an emergency? Could you store inventory, equipment, and supplies off-site? Examine the possibilities, make a plan, and assure that you and your employees know what to do.
Keep an extra of any hard-to-replace parts or supplies on hand. Store them off-site. If this cannot be done, work with suppliers in advance to assure a secure and adequate supply. Store several days' supply in a place that is not vulnerable to the same disaster as your facility. Be sure to keep this auxiliary supply up-to-date.
Make upgrades now that would prevent possible future damage. Strengthening exterior walls, adding a retaining wall, or shoring up a creek bank are relatively minor projects in comparison to losing the building to flood waters.
[We'll conclude this Disaster Preparedness summary in the December TipSheet.]