The period between June and November is one of the riskiest times for business. Why? Because it’s hurricane season – according to an article on CIO.com – The hurricane preparedness guide for business
The article provides a 4 step action plan to help your business avoid losses during these situations. These stages include planning, preparedness, action, and recovery.
- Planning
The first step in planning for hurricanes is to know you’re the unique threats for your operational areas. Depending on your location(s), your business could face tropical hazards like storm surge flooding which includes battering waves, inland flooding from excessive rainfall, tornadoes, and extreme winds. - Preparedness
Preparedness includes reviewing and practicing your plan. Preparedness could include stocking the right supplies if you have buildings that could require shelter in place in accordance with your plan. - Action
Ensure the safety of employees. Mitigate damage. Protect physical assets. Limit the cost and amount of time for recovery
- Recovery
Communication is key. All your employees should know what to do and you should have open lines of communication with all stakeholders.
According to the FEMA website, they provide an action plan to increase community preparedness and resilience for disasters. The campaign offers free resources for households and organizations to discuss and practice plans and safety measures to improve resilience for specific disasters.
Planning and preparing can make a big difference in being safe and keeping your doors open after a disaster. The ability to maintain or quickly re-establish business operations or organization processes requires a focus on preparedness, advance planning, and relationships with external partners and community leaders.
They offer a guide to help organizations be ready to hurricane season – Prepare Your Organization for a Hurricane Playbook
Thi playbook provides you, as a community leader or employer, with tools and resources to support your preparedness efforts and to help you conduct an America’s PrepareAthon! Day of Action.