September is National Preparedness Month, offering an annual opportunity for businesses to evaluate their planning and strategy in the event of an unexpected situation. This year’s theme is: Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How.
The unpredictable hurricanes of 2017 reminded us here in the Sarasota area of the importance of preparing for disasters. From how to best care for our families to how to minimize damage to our business, September is a great time to get your plans worked out and documented. Here are just a few ideas on how to be prepared.
Family First
No one can effectively concentrate on business unless their family is safe and secure.
- Be sure that your family knows where to meet and how to communicate should there be an emergency. Installing a group texting app on everyone’s phone is a great way to quickly disseminate needed information.
- Make plans to have sufficient water, batteries, and food for a week or so. This is a great time to re-evaluate your family’s hurricane preparedness plan.
- Families should have options on where to relocate should evacuation become necessary, and understand alternate routes to those places.
- National Preparedness Month is an appropriate time to learn or refresh CPR skills, refill first aid kits, and have doctor/poison control numbers handy. All drivers should know the route to the nearest hospital or emergency medical care.
- Test all smoke detectors, and install carbon monoxide detectors if they are not already present. Make sure that all flammable materials such as paints or cleaners are kept away from rags, electrical sources, and furnaces. Be sure to know the location of any gas lines, and know how to shut off the gas in case of an emergency.
Business Preparedness
Business owners should employ all of the measures above to secure their facilities and protect the well-being of their employees. In addition, here are some ways to mitigate the effect of a disaster on your business operations.
- In addition to group texts, have a way for employees to check in and report that they are safe, and if they are available for work if necessary.
- Identify an alternate facility where you can conduct operations. In this day and age, many businesses simply allow their employees to work from home if coming in to the office is not possible. Make sure that all employees know how to log in remotely.
- Disasters may disrupt shipments, services, or payments. Have a written plan in place which dictates how you will alert customers and vendors of your situation, and how you will communicate the ongoing progress of your recovery. People will be more forgiving in these situations if they understand that you have been proactively working to get back to normal.
National Preparedness Month gives families and businesses alike an opportunity to evaluate their emergency plans. No one likes to think about a disaster, but having a written plan will mitigate results and help to get you back on your feet more quickly.
One way to ensure that your business data and operations are protected is to keep your data offsite. By utilizing a professional managed services company, your network remains up and running even if your facility has been damaged. Allowing Alliance IT to assist you will not only ensure that your daily operations run smoothly, but that you have a team of experts at your disposal should the unexpected happen.
