Planning to Stay in Business

-- Virginia Morgan

What do businesses, nonprofit organizations, and churches have in common?

They all have employees, including self-employers; they need to stay open; and they should have a plan in place to stay open or to reopen following a disaster. Such a disaster and continuity plan provides a format for an organization’s leaders to determine what is needed to keep the doors open if something drastic happens.

What goes into such a plan? It can be as simple as deciding who will be in charge (you, if you are self-employed) and where you will relocate if you can’t operate at your current location. But these additional steps may save you time, trouble, and money should a disaster happen:

• compile critical contact information (suppliers and contractors, banks, insurance, and others)
• identify which of your normal activities must continue in order to recover from the disaster, protect electronic files
• establish evacuation and shelter-in-place plans

Read what happened to Beaumont, Texas, businessman Bill Munro after Hurricane Rita in 2005. If this or a similar story inspires you to get a plan, you don’t have to start with a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen—a course is available to help. Developed by the Extension Disaster Education Network and the Department of Homeland Security the course was designed for Extension educators to teach small business owners and managers how to prepare for disasters. Contact your county Extension office to learn more.

You can also take the Ready Business course on your own, if you wish. Course materials for it as well as for Pandemic Preparedness for Business and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness for Faith-Based Organizations are available on the EDEN Web site. The Ready.gov tip sheet is also a useful tool for disaster planning.

Today is a great day to begin your plan to stay in business following a disaster!         

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