Even Small Businesses Need a Disaster Plan

10/6/2021 (Permalink)

Many small business owners in Northern Virginia are caught off guard when disaster strikes. They fail to have a plan in place for their business, thinking that it would never happen to them or never even considering the possibility of a disaster. Unfortunately, once disaster strikes, it’s often too late. Afterwards, many businesses are forced to close permanently because they were not prepared.  With Hurricane season only a short time away once more, please take the time to protect your business with a few ideas from below.   

According to foxbusiness.com, there are 7 steps you can take if you are a small business owner to help protect your business from disaster.

Risk Assessment: Determine what types of emergencies are most likely to affect your company and then evaluate your level of preparedness. Check in with your insurance company, make sure employees are trained for emergencies, have data backed up and stored at a safe location.

Review Your Insurance Coverage: Talk with your insurance agent to make sure your business is covered if hit by disaster. After determining what types of emergencies your business is most prone to, make sure your policy covers those types of situations. Ask about business interruption insurance which helps business owners continue to pay on-going bills while operations are shut down during disaster recovery.

Create a Contingency Plan: Review your business operations and determine which are most important for the survival of your business. Form a process to manage these functions in the event of a disaster. Determine an alternate business location where business operations can continue during the recovery process.

Create a Communications Plan: Disasters create chaos and having a communications plan in place in advance will help minimize panic.

Back Up Your Data: Making sure all your data is backed up and stored in a safe place is critical. Cloud-based data solutions are best as they stay safe during disasters and can be accessed from any location.

Build an Emergency Kit: Have an emergency kit available onsite including items like water, flashlights, fire extinguishers, etc.

Review and Rehearse You Plan: Once your plan is in place, make certain your employees know the plan and have practiced implementing it.

While disasters can be devastating to a business, preparation can certainly help in the recovery process. By taking time to prepare before disaster strikes and getting a plan in place, business owners can help protect their business in times of emergencies. If you would like further information on how our team at SERVPRO of Dale City/Lake Ridge and SERVPRO of Woodbridge/Lorton may help you prepare your business, simply give us a call at 703-583-8484.  We’re always here to help!