Hurricane Preparation
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1467953
Page 35 STAFF REPORT According to the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Labor, 68% of small-business owners do not have a written disaster recovery plan. Here's what happens after a nat- ural disaster to businesses that do not have a plan. According to information pro- vided by Sarasota County Govern- ment, all businesses should have a disaster plan to communicate with employees, local authorities, cus- tomers and others during and after a disaster. Follow these guidelines to prepare your place of work: • Provide employees with informa- tion on when, if and how to report to work following an emergency. • Set up a telephone call tree, a password-protected page on the company website, an email alert or a call-in voice recording to commu- nicate with employees. • Store valuable information in fire/waterproof containers, off-site and away from the storm's path. • Evaluate your insurance cov- erage to ensure it will allow your business to fully recover after a storm. Keep your policy in a loca- tion off-site. • Maintain a video or pictures of your office/equipment prior to a disaster. • Stockpile spare parts and alter- native power supplies. • Locate alternate work sites and moving companies. • Ensure that there are written procedures in place, lists of custom- ers, vendors, inventory, calendars and schedules; and that this infor- mation and location is shared with other employees who will be needed to get the business back in opera- tion. • Unplug equipment during major storms. • Encourage employees to have a workplace survival kit. • Complete a business disaster re- covery plan. You can find a sample business emergency plan at ready. gov/business or FloridaDisaster. org. Prepare your business for a storm FILE PHOTO Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, caused major damage to Punta Gorda. Thankfully, there will never be another Charley since the name has been retired. ASSOCIATED PRESS A car remains on a hydraulic lift on Aug. 26, 2004, in Punta Gorda, 14 days after Hurricane Charley leveled the service station around it. Many Florida businesses were damaged by the hurricane, which caused an estimated $7.4 billion in insured damage to homes, busi- nesses and personal property. adno=3844676-1 HEIDI SCHROCK P.A. Team Leader, Realtor® 941-587-7348 Heidi@DiscoverFloridaHouses.com AMY BADIALI Realtor® 941-216-6940 Amy@DiscoverFloridaHouses.com LUCAS ADAMS Realtor® 941-499-0113 Lucas@DiscoverFloridaHouses.com SHOMBRE RICKETTS Realtor® 941-303-9104 Shombre@DiscoverFloridaHouses.com www.DiscoverFloridaHouses.com SCAN HERE SCAN HERE for a printable for a printable checklist of all 25! checklist of all 25! Top 25 Ways to Prepare Your Top 25 Ways to Prepare Your Home For Hurricane Season Home For Hurricane Season Charge all devices Take pictures or video of every room in your house Gather up important documents and store in a waterproof container. Charge external batteries/portable power sources for your phone. Text FLPrepares 888777 to get text updates on the storm. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.