Is your Business Prepared for Hurricane Season?

6/6/2022 (Permalink)

Is your business ready?

Hurricane season is upon us! Here are 8 hurricane preparedness tips that will help you prepare for a hurricane’s effect on your business, employees and community by highlighting activities you should undertake before, during and following the event.

1. Prepare A Plan And Practice It!

Although today’s technology allows advanced warning of approaching storms, there is little that can be done to continue business operations if no contingency plan is in place. I’m not just speaking of knowing the hurricane routes out of town, but planning an overall strategy that extends to all parts of your business. 

2. Backup Your Data!  

Businesses depend on information technology. The technology centers around software, hardware, and data. Without access to data, business quickly comes to a screeching halt. Work with your I/S team to ensure that backups are performed in a timely manner and that they are stored in a facility that is safe, secure, dependable. 

3. Protect Your Site!

Protecting your site facilities is instrumental in continuing or restoring operations in the event of a hurricane, Batteries, generators, backup water source, boarding windows.  Work with your team to establish a shutdown and recovery plan.  

4. Operate Remotely

Inability to access your facility is a highly probable occurrence when a hurricane approaches. Roads may be flooded or closed by authorities. Employees may be unable to leave their homes in a state of emergency or may be unwilling to leave their families. It is very important to plan for this scenario in which your business facility is operational but the employees are unable or unwilling to get there.

5. Establish An On-Site Support Plan

Another way to address the problem of access is to prepare a specially selected team of employees to “camp out” at the processing facility. This plan would necessarily include the provisioning of food and water supplies, the acquisition of sleeping facilities (folding cots or sleeping bags are a few choices that work), the availability of bathing facilities and amenities (such as razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, soap, blow dryers, etc.) and spare clothes for all employees. 

6. Declare Early

Some businesses declare emergency status well in advance, activating recovery plans, vendors, and action teams quickly. Don’t worry or wait. It is important that you do not hesitate to act. If you subscribe for services through a recovery services vendor, most providers operate on a firstcome, first-served basis.

7. Implement An Effective Communications Strategy

Communications are important to any business entity. In the event of a pending hurricane, it becomes even more crucial. Communications are needed to coordinate emergency activities, to implement the recovery/contingency plan, to warn employees of impending danger, to inform families and off-duty personnel about what’s happening, to maintain contact with customers and suppliers, as well as proactively maintain an information line with the media. 

8. Expect The Unexpected

Murphy’s law does apply to hurricanes. Remain flexible and adaptable. You should also remember that the nature of the hurricane will influence your recovery direction. The impact of senior management, customer, and employee decisions (or personal impacts) may also alter your plans. Try not to make assumptions and do not hesitate to act. The best defense against the unexpected is the “P” cubed principle...Prepare, Plan, and Practice (reference number one). Continuously update your plans after each practice or recovery activity and capture any lessons learned. This helps to keep Murphy in check... As you can see, business continuity before, during, and after a hurricane takes preparation. While a hurricane does provide some advance warning, this warning does not provide enough time to adequately prepare for continued business continuity. What is required is a serious, thoughtful and committed approach to the challenge of recovering your business, whether your company is in a hurricane risk area or not. Make hurricane preparedness your business before the wind blows.