The Importance of a Disaster Plan for Your Business - Part 1

1/14/2019 (Permalink)

We hear news every day about everything from floods, hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and earthquakes. In order to survive these devastating events, the key to being able to roll with the punches, so to speak, is to be prepared for a multitude of worst-case scenarios.

Being prepared for those scenarios means creating a natural disaster plan for your business. This blog will discuss some of the aspects to consider when designing that plan.

What to Include in a Disaster Plan

There are many things and areas you will need to consider when putting together a disaster plan for your business.

Included in those considerations should be:

1. Providing protection for your employees - Part 1
2. Securing your assets - Part 2 will follow in future blog
3. How to get business up and running again - Part 2 will follow in future blog

Many checklists have been compiled by sources like the Red Cross, FEMA and Ready.gov to help you identify areas that need to be included in your natural disaster preparedness plan. These sources can also let you see how prepared you truly are.

Safety Planning for Your Staff

If a disaster were to strike without warning, people come first. Having a plan that lays out procedures and safety measures for employees and visitors will be of the utmost importance.

Ask yourself questions like are evacuation routes and exits from your facility properly marked, is there an area that can serve as a shelter space, is there a need to install emergency lighting, and do I have a volunteer team in my staff designated as “safety wardens” who are properly trained and ready to aid in all emergency efforts?

When choosing a space for a shelter, investigate using a basement or storm cellar in case of tornadoes or other high-wind situations. If there is no basement space, find a small interior room on the lowest level of the building, such as a closet or interior hallway.

With SERVPRO® of North Huntington, you can count on us to get to the disaster faster and make it "Like it never even happened." Our training and expertise have prepared us to help with water damage, storm damage, fire damage and mold remediation quickly and effectively.