South Floridians on one side have the advantage of great weather most of the year, on the other hand there is always a possibility of a hurricane slamming on to their coasts. This means floods, and health and safety risks, not to mention the strain a big storm can put on a business, either by storm damage or too many days of business disruption.
It’s important for business owners to implement some type of recovery plan in case disaster strikes. Here are some recommendations:
- The business should have a crisis team: this team should include senior executives, HR, Legal, etc. This team should be in constant communication during and after the event to make quick decisions for the company.
- Constant communication with FEMA or state level emergency management: This will help business owners determine how long their area will be affected by things like floods, power outages, when government officials will resume services. These answers will help put a plan in place.
- Determine the health, safety and location of the company’s employees: SMS and social media can be a great lines of communication. It is the company owner’s responsibility to make sure the employees put their safety first.
- If possible, moving specific business operations outside of the affected area or temporary outsource employees from a staffing agency.
- Business owners should have a plan in place to protect their sensitive information, this should be done as soon as it is determined to be safe.
- The company should have a detailed list of the area’s best restoration services. The infrastructure can suffer damages and the owners should be prepared to quickly contact a service provider. Some of the professional services that could be needed are:
- Commercial Water Damage Restoration
- Commercial Mold Removal
- Commercial Fire Damage Restoration
- Commercial Carpet Cleaning services
- Commercial Tile Cleaning
- General Commercial Construction
- They should not try to tackle the cleanup themselves, it’s always better to bring in a professional to assess the damage.
- Keeping the company’s client informed on when they will be up and running again.