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Making a Disaster Plan for Your Business | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County
1/11/2019 (Permalink)
Making a Disaster Plan for Your Business | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County - SERVPRO OF NORTH KENOSHA COUNTY Blog
How about that Mother Nature! She can prove to be quite a formidable foe by throwing everything from floods, hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and earthquakes at us. The best defense is a good offense, and that is being prepared in advance for a multitude of worst-case scenarios.
Being prepared for those scenarios involves creating a natural disaster plan for your business. Let’s take a look at some of the aspects to consider when designing that plan.
There are many factor and things you will need to consider and include in a disaster plan for your business, your employees and your assets.
Included in those considerations are the following:
- Protecting your employees
- Securing your assets
- Getting your business up and running again
There are many checklists available from sources like the Red Cross, FEMA and Ready.gov that can guide you in identifying areas that need to be included in your natural disaster preparedness plan. These sources can also help you figure out just how prepared you truly are.
If a disaster should strike without warning, your plan should provide for the protection of employees and visitors.
It is extremely important to make sure evacuation routes and exits from your facility are all properly marked, that there is an area available where people can take shelter, that emergency lighting has been installed, and that staff are available to volunteer to serve as “safety wardens” who are properly trained and ready to guide and assist with all emergency efforts.
When you are deciding on a sheltering area, a basement or storm cellar is ideal in case of tornadoes or other high-wind situations. If that type of space is not available, you should designate a small interior room, such as a closet or interior hallway, on the lowest level of the building.
If you have a brick and mortar location for your business, you’ll have to make mindful choices about how to protect the assets inside it. From equipment to merchandise, there are thousands of dollars at risk when a natural disaster strikes.
Keep a complete and current inventory of your equipment and merchandise and, if possible, having photographs prior to a disaster is always helpful during an insurance claim process. If your assets are saved on a computer server, take the steps necessary to ensure that regular backups are performed by the backup system and that the storage system cannot be damaged.
If you own your building, work with a contractor to locate areas that may need improvement and strengthening. The contractor can also discuss with you possible safety upgrades and advise on any areas that may not withstand certain weather situations.
If you find yourself a victim of a natural disaster, it is quite possible that your business will have to be closed for repairs due to damage. And every day you remain closed is another day of lost profits. It is wise to have a “rainy day” fund available to help with additional costs not covered by your insurance.
Make a list of contractors available for construction and repair needs, and familiarize yourself with a cleanup and restoration service will be available to quickly respond to your emergency situation.
With SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County, 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.
Knowing what to do when disaster strikes your business is of the utmost importance. When it comes to the cleanup and restoration aspects, depend on SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County to be there for you.