Prepared for a disaster? Hurricane season is here.

Hurricane season has officially begun. The hazardous weather conditions will remain prevalent until November 30^th. According to an interview with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), “Small businesses that don’t have a plan in place generally don’t survive after a disaster, whether it’s a flood or a tornado. We see that anywhere from 40-60 percent of those that are hit like that simply don’t come back to business.” Is your business prepared for a disaster with a recovery plan in place?

If you’re like most businesses, your doors need to remain open no matter what. This means products/services will need to be sold and employees will need to be paid whether there is a hurricane, earthquake, fire, or flood occurring. Follow the guidelines below to help lessen the impact of a disaster and enable you to keep business as normal in any situation:

Plan
Companies large and small will need to have a plan in order to survive Mother Nature’s worst. Something to keep in mind when you’re planning is to consider what are the vital functions needed in order for the company to survive. This can range from how downtime will affect your business, legal or financial obligations, reputation, or safeguarding an irreplaceable asset.

It’s important to also make sure the company’s most valuable resource is taken care of, your employees. Look to implement a plan that not only ensures your employees are safe, but also paid when a tragedy occurs. Consider enrolling your employees in a paperless payroll option where employees can get paid, even when the mail cannot be delivered.

Test
Once you have established a plan, put it to the test. The best way to see if you are prepared is to try it out. Go through step by step to make sure there are no areas that may have been overlooked. Ensure you have all the supplies the business needs to be ready when and if you have to be.

Execute
In the event a disaster of any size occurs, rest assured that you are prepared and have your customers and employees covered. By preparing ahead of time you will have a better chance of keeping your doors open and business as usual.

Don’t let your hard work go to waste when an unexpected disaster arises. Do your research, prepare your plans, perform a test run, and if needed put your plan into action when the time comes. A few great resources for business owners to check out include PrepareMyBusiness.org, FEMA’s Business Toolkit, and the Small Business Administration’s Emergency Preparedness. They offer checklists, suggestions and much more to make sure you’re prepared when disasters strike.

Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center