Following significant disasters, 40% of businesses do not reopen, and another 25% fail within one year, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reveals that this number rises sharply to 43% when businesses do not have formal emergency plans. Even more eye-opening is that 75% of businesses that do not have business continuity plans fail within three years of a natural disaster.
The weather over the last few weeks has thrown snow, ice, and flooding at us. Having a plan can help to get your business back up and running quickly, so it can continue providing products and services to your community.
Disaster plans must encompass how employees will communicate, where they will go and how they will keep doing their jobs. The details can vary greatly, depending on the size and scope of your company and the way it does business. Some businesses might prioritize power outages as the most critical, while others focus on data recovery, such as restoring data from an offsite backup.
Don’t wait until disaster strikes. Be proactive and begin researching options for resuming operations as quickly as possible in the aftermath. The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA provide excellent resources for businesses on a broad spectrum of disasters for planning and preparedness. We also have videos on RASI SafetyTV about planning and preparation.
Our safety team is ready to help members with safety plans and topics for safety meetings. Contact us at (360) 943-9198 x118, or [email protected].
