Emergency Preparedness For Your Business

If you're like me, you feel useless in the face of disasters whether natural or man made. They are often out of our geographic reach or of such proportion that we don't have the skills to help the survivors. As I watched the sad, steady stream of evacuees during Hurricane Katrina, folks who lost business and homes, and the lucky ones who made it of more recent floods and disasters, it becomes obvious that the best thing we can do for ourselves and our businesses is to be as prepared as possible to meet our own emergencies when they come.

September is National Preparedness month, so what better time to give some thought to the subject. Preparedness doesn't mean deciding which photos to take with us, or which strand of pearls to rescue, although they have value and stir memories. Preparedness to me means creating a back-up of my business and personal life. Any business can be better prepared to meet disaster head-on with planning and organization. With a business backup I can assist my employees and revive the business more quickly.

While business continuity in a crisis is a complex issue, the following information is at least a start. Make photocopies of these important business records and keep them bound together in a waterproof, fireproof portable container. Don't keep the originals in here. Don't tuck it away in some obscure hiding place, the location of which you're bound to forget when under stress, but keep it accessible and know exactly where it is. Also tell someone outside the business of its location. Store a second set of records at an off-site location.

• Site maps and building plans
• Insurance policies
• Business Licenses and Certificates
• Tax Exemption Certificates
• Business Trade Mark Certificates
• Employee contact and identification information
• Bank account records
• Supplier and shipping contact lists
• Computer backups
• Emergency or law enforcement contact information
• Other priority business documents

As happened in New York City in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, the ATMs shut down and access to cash was impossible. Therefore, if you do have access to cash, keep at hand what is for you a reasonable amount to grab as needed. Smaller bills are preferable to large ones. Bundle specific quantities (i.e. $500.00, $1000.00, $15,000.00) and identify the amount in each bundle.

In closing, think about the basics of survival; food, water and shelter. Know what types of emergencies can affect your particular business. Don't forget to inform your employees of your preparedness plans. Practice evacuation techniques if feasible, and keep your documents current.