As a successful business owner, you plan ahead. Sales and payroll, products and services – all these items of business are top of mind, of course, but we know you also think about those things that can be out of your control, such as bad weather, illness, and accidents. Taking steps to ensure that your business can survive natural disasters is a smart move on your part, and will help you to get back to normal as quickly as humanly possible.
Here are some tips that can help your business recover from a natural disaster:
- People come first. Set up an emergency response plan, and ensure that all your employees are familiar with it. They will need to know who to contact in the event of any natural disaster and what steps to take to preserve lives and limit any property loss. Your plan should have clear steps to follow and assigned responsibilities to people who are able to handle them. Practicing all procedures will help everyone to stay calm if a real event occurs.
- Keep in contact. You should compile a list of all important phone numbers and addresses, ensuring that contact can be made with key people after the disaster. Local and state emergency personnel, major clients, disaster restoration professionals, insurance and real estate companies, and financial institutions are all entities that you will need to reach out to. Have a strategy in place that will enable you to get the word out to the community about the state of your business and when you expect to be back to normal.
- Physical Resources. Inspect all your premises and assess the impact of the disaster when it is safe to do so. Employ a licensed professional restoration company to help you in this project. They will have the knowledge and expertise to help you decide what will need to be done to protect the safety of your workforce and others who do business with you and where you need to focus when it comes to codes and other requirements.
- Location. If you cannot afford to be out of business due to a shutdown, determine what you may need to run your business from another temporary location. You may be able to implement a reciprocity agreement with another business.
- Insurance. Be sure you understand your policy deductibles and limits before disaster ever strikes. Doing business with a professional restoration team that can work with your insurance company will be a huge benefit (and relief) when it comes to navigating all the repairs that may need to be done.
Here at Ascension General Contractors, we know that recovering from a natural disaster is never easy. We have the experience and expertise to help during the toughest times.
