07/ 14/ 2006
by Maggie Flynn
While hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, the worst storms often occur in August and September. This means that if your small business is located in the Gulf or southeastern coastal states, you have about a month to make sure your disaster plans are up-to-date and workable. If you live outside of this volatile region, don't think you're off the hook. Other forms of natural disaster, such as earthquakes, floods, tornados or brush fires, can be just as devastating. Take some time this summer to make sure your business can survive the worst Mother Nature can dish out. Here are some places to start.
Safety first
As your business' main proprietor, you are in charge of your employees' welfare. Make sure you have evacuation plans, and that all of your employees are aware of them. Hold regular safety drills. If severe conditions exist in the morning before work, tell your employees to stay home for the day. While it may be an inconvenience to cancel a meeting or close shop for the day, this is a far better alternative than risking the safety of your employees.
Should the severe conditions occur while you are already at work, try to convince your employees to stay put. Reassure them that they will be safer staying than trying to outrun the storm. Keep a battery-powered radio handy so you can listen to updates and determine further courses of action. Usually you will want to stay where you are, unless damage sustained by your building poses a threat to you and your staff.
Keep emergency supplies on hand
At the very minimum, your business should be stocked with three days worth of water and food (don't forget your can opener!), a first aid kit, flashlight, radio and batteries for both. Let your employees know that these supplies are in the office and tell them to feel free to contribute blankets, clothes or anything else they would like included in the emergency supply kit.
Monitor supplies throughout the year to make sure items are staying stocked and your batteries are good. Discourage employees from breaking into emergency stockpiles if they happened to forget their water bottle or lunch one day.
Review insurance policies
As non-intuitive as it sounds, your hurricane insurance might cover the physical building housing your company, but may not cover water-damaged items inside of it. Find out exactly what losses, under what circumstances, are covered. While you can read through your policies yourself, the easiest way to do this is to set up a meeting with your insurance provider. Make sure you discuss the scenarios in which you aren't currently covered and begin to assess whether or not it would make sense for you to purchase additional policies.
In addition to keeping these insurance policies and other important documents in a fireproof, waterproof safe in your office, it is also a good idea to keep a copy of any papers you can't afford to lose in a secure, off-site location.
Don't panic
It's human nature to worry, and some people can't contemplate a disaster situation without their palms getting sweaty and feeling dizzy. As the boss, it's your job to broach this subject in a calm, professional manner. If disaster planning is new to you and your office, make sure you introduce it in a way to reassure, rather than worry, your employees. Don't use scare tactics to get employees on board, but do convince them to take safety drills and preparations seriously.
In the event of the unthinkable, your employees will look to you for guidance. Preparing for a disaster before it happens is the best way to make sure that if the time comes, you'll be cool-headed while leading your staff to safety and dealing with the aftermath of events.
