by Sharon Jones

Image by Johnny Landner from Pixabay - CC0 Licence

A job as a business owner is a multidimensional role that includes taking care of the beginnings of a business, to nurturing its progress and holistically protecting its future. Which the potential for a natural disaster to strike at any time, preparing for the worst-case scenario is critical for your business. Imagine what you would do if your warehouse of products were to be flooded, a tornado swept away your business premises or a forest fire destroyed your farming land eradicating all of the food you worked so hard to grow. For the business owner, preparation and planning are essential, so let’s start from the top with what needs to be done to prevent and control any damage that could occur as a result of a natural disaster.

Evacuation Plan

The likelihood is if there were a fire to occur on-site, you have a clear plan of action that your colleagues are aware of to follow. This is to avoid the onset of anxiety and fear that strike workers when the fire alarm rings. And to lead your workforce to safety. The same kind of direction is critical when creating an evacuation plan in case a natural disaster arises. There should be clear escape routes and a safe meeting place to attend. Once the safety of your staff and you has been planned, you must identify a plan to keep your business going. For example, you could assess whether your team can work remotely until your office space is safe to work in again.

Backup Services

Pre Planning for a natural disaster is about protecting your staff, resources, and of course your company data, so that you may resume your business practices when it is safe to do so. Creating a system to backup your business information such as customer contact details, orders from suppliers, financial records, and so forth is critical. It’s paramount to keep your business information in another location to reduce the probability of it being destroyed during a natural disaster. You can either hire an IT Service Provider to store it within a cloud service, that you can access anywhere in the world from an electronic device, so long as you have your login details. Or store your work manually on an external hard drive regularly. Choose an IT solution that supports the scale and needs of your business.

Insurance

All businesses should have insurance to cover the premises they reside in and of course, their equipment, devices, and products on the site. In the likely event of an accident, burglary, or natural disaster, taking out the right insurance policy could cover the financial aspect of restoring your business following a catastrophe. Read the terms and conditions of a potential insurance policy before you commit. This includes establishing the excess you might need to pay out for and also whether specific natural disasters are covered.

With an evacuation plan, a backup storage facility for your data and adequate insurance, you can prevent your business from being completely destroyed.