24/7 Emergency ServiceThe Importance of Your Business Being Prepared for a Disaster | SERVPRO® of Piscataway
1/11/2019 (Permalink)
The Importance of Your Business Being Prepared for a Disaster | SERVPRO® of Piscataway
Would your business be prepared to face all that Mother Nature can throw at it through floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and earthquakes? The most important key to surviving these natural disasters is to be prepared for these situations.
Being prepared for those scenarios involves building a natural disaster plan for your business. This blog will cover some aspects to consider when designing that plan.
There are many different factors you will need to consider when building a disaster plan for your business. This includes your employees as well as your assets such as equipment and merchandise.
Some of those considerations to include should be:
- How to safely protect your employees
- How to secure your assets
- How to get business up and running again
There have been many checklists made available to us by sources like the Red Cross, FEMA and Ready.gov that will assist you identifying areas that need to be included in your natural disaster preparedness plan. These sources will also show you just how unprepared you are.
In case a disaster were to strike without warning, a plan needs to be in place that lists procedures and safety measures for employees and visitors to follow and is extremely important.
Make sure evacuation routes and exits from your facility are all clearly marked, mark a shelter space within the building for people to use as a shelter, consider installing emergency lighting, and have designated volunteer “safety wardens” who are properly trained and ready to guide and assist with all emergency efforts.
When making a selection for a shelter space, it is always recommended to use a basement or storm cellar in the event of tornadoes or other high-wind situations. This is not always an option, so if you have no basement space, identify a small interior room on the lowest level of the building or a closet or interior hallway also located on the lowest level of the building.
If you have a business that is located in a brick and mortar building, you’ll still want to make provisions for protecting the assets that are inside. From equipment to merchandise, you stand to lose thousands of dollars when a natural disaster strikes.
Be sure to have a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of these items, and yes, having photographs prior to a disaster whenever possible is always helpful if insurance claims will have to be made. If your assets are based on a computer server, take the steps necessary to ensure that the backup system is working and the storage system cannot be damaged.
If you own your building, you can talk with a contractor to uncover areas that could be improved on in regard to structural integrity. The contractor can walk you through possible safety upgrades and advise on any areas that may not make the grade in certain weather situation.
When a natural disaster does occur, it is possible that your business will have to be closed due to damage, and every day you remain closed is another day of lost profits. It is wise to have a “rainy day” fund saved to help with additional costs that are not covered by your insurance.
Take some time and talk with a contractor to locate areas that could be improved on with regard to structural integrity. This contractor can also walk you through possible safety upgrades and identify any areas that may not meet code certain weather situation.
Compile a list of contractors that would be available for construction concerns, and find a cleanup and restoration service that will be available to quickly respond to your emergency situation.
With SERVPRO® of Piscataway, you can count on us to get to the disaster faster and make it "Like it never even happened." Our expertise and trained professionals are fully prepared to help with water damage, storm damage, fire damage and mold remediation quickly and effectively.
Knowing what to do when disaster strikes your business is of the utmost importance. When it comes to the cleanup and restoration aspects, depend on SERVPRO® of Piscataway to be there for you.