The recent flooding in Sarasota during Hurricanes Debby and Helene serves as a stark reminder for small businesses to proactively prepare for natural disasters. With these unprecedented events occurring back-to-back, it’s vital for small business owners to implement strategies to mitigate risks – and that planning should extend beyond the IT department. While Alliance IT is here to help with your network and systems, your recovery plan encompasses far more.
Read about IT disaster preparedness HERE.
- Risk Assessment and Planning: All companies, regardless of size, should conduct a thorough risk assessment to understand how flooding and hurricanes can affect the business. Is your business in a flood-prone area? Are your buildings and facilities adequately designed to withstand severe weather? How would a disruption in the supply chain impact your suppliers and customers? Once you’ve identified risks, you can develop a comprehensive disaster response plan including evacuation plans, communication strategies, and defined roles for your team members.
- Insurance Coverage: Be sure to review your insurance policies before hurricane season to ensure they adequately cover flood damage. Standard commercial insurance often doesn’t cover flooding, so consider adding flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or private insurers. Business Interruption Insurance can also help to replace lost income if you can’t operate due to a disaster. Planning with an experienced insurance advisor will help you to understand your options and make necessary adjustments to your coverage.
- Physical Preparedness: While it is difficult to prepare for everything, companies on the Gulf Coast should take measures to safeguard physical assets. When it comes to preparing for flood risk, for instance, you can elevate critical equipment and inventory above potential flood levels. Before the storm, use sandbags or water barriers to protect entrances and windows. Finally, inspect gutters, drains, and stormwater systems to ensure they are clear of debris to facilitate drainage during storms.
- Emergency Supplies: Stocking up on emergency supplies for your business is smart for disaster recovery, but also to mitigate any type of emergency that may arise. You may wish to stockpile non-perishable food and water, first-aid kits, flashlights and batteries and basic tools for repairs. Having these supplies ready can help ensure the safety of your employees should something unexpected occur.
- Communication Strategy: You’ll need to establish a clear communication plan to keep your employees, customers, and suppliers informed. Plan to utilize multiple channels—such as social media, email, and text messaging—to disseminate information about closures, safety measures, and recovery plans. Ensure that all staff are aware of how to receive updates and whom to contact in case of an emergency.
- Financial Preparedness Financial resilience is key to surviving a disaster. You may wish to establish an emergency fund specifically for disaster recovery to help cover immediate expenses and make up for lost revenue. There are also loans and grants available for disaster recovery, such as those offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
- Employee Training: Regularly refresh your staff on emergency procedures and safety protocols, providing additional training as needed. If you conduct periodic drills, it will help everyone to understand their role during an evacuation or emergency response. This practice not only helps ensure safety but also fosters a culture of preparedness.
- Post-Disaster Recovery: After the storm passes, make an effort to assess your damage quickly and thoroughly. Document everything with photographs for insurance claims and reach out to your insurance company to begin the claims process as soon as possible. Proactively communicate with your employees about when and how to resume operations and consider flexible work arrangements if some staff cannot return immediately.
Alliance IT and IT Backup Plans
While small businesses cannot prevent natural disasters, they can take proactive steps to minimize their impact. If you are creating or reviewing your disaster recovery plan and need support with your systems and networks, call Alliance IT. We can help you to assess your operations, create a recovery strategy and provide redundancy for your networks. Call today to learn more.
