Have You Created a Disaster Plan for Your Business?

2/27/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of East Central Austin Professionals are available 24 hours/7 days a week and will respond quickly to a restoration emergency.

Have You Created a Disaster Plan for Your Business? | SERVPRO® of East Central Austin - SERVPRO of East Central Austin Blog

Have You Created a Disaster Plan for Your Business? | SERVPRO® of East Central Austin 

As of late, we have experienced a myriad of troubles thanks to Mother Nature in the likes of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and earthquakes. The key to being able to roll with these punches, so to speak, is to be prepared for a multitude of worst-case scenarios.

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

Think About This

There are many things you will need to consider when creating a disaster plan for your business.

Some of those considerations follow below:

1. How to protect the human aspect of your business—your employees
2. How to secure your equipment and assets
3. How to get business up and running smoothly again

Thankfully, checklists have been made available from sources like the Red Cross, FEMA and Ready.gov that can help in identifying areas that need to be included in your natural disaster preparedness plan. These sources can also enlighten you as to just how prepared you truly are.

Employee Protection During a Disaster

If a disaster were to strike without warning, the safety of your employees and any visitors to your business should be one of the first considerations in your disaster plan and lays out procedures and safety measures to be followed.

Evacuation routes and exits from your facility should be clearly and properly marked and there should be an area that serves as a shelter. You’ll also want to look into installing emergency lights and have designated staff that will serve as “safety wardens” that are properly trained and ready to assist with all emergency efforts.

When choosing an area for shelter, a basement or storm cellar is the best location in case of tornadoes or other high-wind situations. If this is not possible, locate a small interior room or hallway on the lowest level of the building.

How to Protect Assets

If your business is located in a brick and mortar location, you’ll need to make informed choices about protecting your assets within the building. When a natural disaster strikes, there are thousands of dollars in equipment and/or merchandise at risk inside that building.

Always have an updated and complete inventory of these items and, if it is possible, photographs taken prior to a disaster are always good to have when filing insurance claims. If you use a computer server, ensure that the server is being backed up regularly and the storage system cannot be damaged.

If your business is in a building that you own, you may want to talk with a contractor to uncover areas that may need structural improvement. The contractor can point out possible safety hazards and offer suggestions for upgrading and advice on any areas that may not make the grade in certain weather situation.

How to Get Back to Business

Understand that when a natural disaster does occur, it is highly probable that your business will have to be closed for a length of time due to damage. Every day you remain closed is another day of lost profits. It is wise to set aside a “rainy day” fund that will help with additional costs that are not covered by your insurance.

Build a list of contractors who will be readily available for construction issues, and find a cleanup and restoration service will be available to quickly respond to your emergency situation.

With SERVPRO® of East Central Austin, 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 East Central Austin to be there for you.