National Preparedness Month: Preparing Your Business for a Disaster

9/1/2017 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties. We are the cleanup team that is "faster to any size disaster."

Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month?

According to FEMA, 40% of businesses never reopen after suffering a disaster. That’s not a friendly statistic.

Disasters vary. Maybe it is a disaster like the tornado that went through Perryville in early 2017. Maybe it is flooding from a storm like what happened to the Cape Girardeau area in May 2017. Maybe it is an ice storm like the Polar Vortex of 2014. Maybe it isn’t weather related. We have helped local businesses recover from various disasters including a water main break in Scott City, a sprinkler malfunction in Piedmont, a busted pipe at a Cape hospital, or tar that caught fire on the roof of a university building.

You can’t predict these types of disasters and their severity. You can, however, prepare for them so that you are ready if they come.

SERVPRO^® is a member of the Ready Campaign’s National Preparedness Coalition. Do you know what steps you need to take for your company to recover after a disaster? A good business owner has a plan in place to help keep their business operating, which helps keep their people employed, who then continue to serve the community, who then contribute to the local economy.

Are you prepared?

We have compiled a list of steps and questions to help you prepare your business for a disaster:

• Be Informed
• What type of emergencies would affect your business, and what would you do in response?
• Develop a Business Continuity Plan
• What is the bare minimum staff, procedures, and equipment needed to keep your company operating? If your suppliers are affected by a disaster, what is your backup plan?
• Prepare Your Emergency Plan
• Have you created an evacuation/shelter plan? How will you communicate with employees?
• Practice the Emergency Plan
• Have you ever practiced the plan? Is it reviewed yearly?
• Review Insurance Coverage
• What type of disasters does your insurance cover?
• Secure Your Facility and Equipment
• How do you secure your entrances? Are there falling risks throughout your facility if an earthquake were to occur along the New Madrid Fault?
• Improve Cybersecurity
• How regularly do you update your antivirus software? Do you have a firewall? How often do you backup your systems?
• Promote Family and Individual Preparedness
• Do you value your employees enough to encourage them and their families to have their own personal emergency kits and plans?

The best time to prepare for a disaster is before it ever strikes. Call SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties at 573-339-1948 to make sure your business is “Ready for whatever happens.” 

Like our Facebook page to learn more about National Preparedness Month and how to be prepared.