Hurricane season can be stressful for businesses, so you must have disaster preparedness plans in place to ensure your business is ready for natural disasters. Hurricane strikes are primarily unpredictable. Your business may not be at risk of ever experiencing a hurricane strike.
Still, the reality is that hurricanes can happen anywhere, and anyone could find their business located in an area at high risk. For this reason, it’s important to have disaster preparedness plans in place, regardless of where you are located.
How Businesses are Preparing for Hurricanes
1. Disaster Planning
The best way to ensure that your business is prepared for a hurricane is to conduct disaster planning. An effective disaster plan will provide you with the information you need to make the correct decisions to minimize the potential adverse effects of a disaster on your business. A detailed disaster plan will also enable you to identify key contacts and resources that may become critical in helping you recover from an emergency.
2. Weather Forecasting
Many weather forecasting tools and services are available to help you predict the path and intensity of a hurricane. A reliable forecast will allow you to make appropriate decisions about how to prepare for a hurricane, when to evacuate, and how long it might take to recover. Understanding the potential paths of the storm will also allow you to develop contingency plans for critical business activities, such as shipping operations, to minimize potential disruptions.
3. Business Recovery Plans
A well-designed business recovery plan can help determine how your business will get back up and running in the event of an incident. The recovery plan should be organized based on your business’ top three functions or activities: production, distribution, and sales. You must include a detailed description of the first few hours after a disaster has struck.
4. Plan Your Evacuation Route
Your evacuation route should consider your ability to resupply items to stores along the evacuated way. It can be done using mobile generators or other alternative portable power sources if power outages occur during an evacuation. It is also essential to have at least one place on your route where you can evacuate if necessary.
5. Take Inventory
During the time leading up to and even during a hurricane, you must keep a running inventory of inventory. If your supplies like food and water are in a good store, you can be more confident that they will be available when you need them most.
6. Provide Emergency Information
Your disaster plan should include information about the types of businesses located in your area, emergency numbers, the addresses of local government agencies, and contact information for emergency response providers such as the police or fire department in your area. The Restoration1 can help you plan for restoration services after a hurricane strikes.
Hurricanes can have damaging impacts on your business’s ability to operate. You will be better prepared to manage a storm by planning and taking the necessary precautions. The next time you hear warnings of a possible hurricane strike, make sure that you are prepared so that your business is not negatively impacted.
