If a severe disaster were to happen, as a business owner you would already be plenty busy worrying about how to get back up and running as soon as possible. But don’t forget that you need to also have a plan for your family to be personally prepared the best you can. Once the home front is OK, you can get back to the challenges of operating your business.

A personal preparedness plan would be quite similar to a business plan, just focused on the home front. It would include these elements:

Mitigate: What can you do to make your personal environment safer?

Communicate: How will you communicate with loved ones? Do you have an outside the area contact set up? This is important to let family and friends know you’re OK or may need help.

Prepare: What are the supplies you need and where will you store them?

Don’t forget to arrange for those with special needs in your family; seniors, infants/children and pets.

That’s why we recommend that you check out the Prepare in a Year guide geared to assist your preparedness by taking one step a month for the next 12 months. How is your backup water supply? We all remember from earlier in the coronavirus pandemic when toilet paper was a challenge to find. Yet both of these items have been on the recommended emergency kit list for years.

RS SafetyTV has some great videos on how to prepare. Retro members can access even more information in the Safety Library in the Emergency Preparedness section.

If you already have a plan, take some time to review it and update it as needed.

WR’s Rick Means, Director of Safety and Education, is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360-943.9198 x118, or [email protected].