Emergency Preparedness

A proactive disaster management plan can mitigate the effects on your business and help speed your return to normal operations. By SCORE Think about all the time and resources you have invested in your small business. Imagine that it’s all gone: furniture, equipment, inventory, records, everything. What would you do? “There will be problems flying at you from all directions,” said Mark Debner, whose Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based business DPI Quality Custom Finishes was hit hard by flooding in 2008 and the Midwest derecho of 2020. “You will be making quick decisions while under great pressure. Do not beat yourself up if you make a few bad mistakes as you recover.” While you can’t prevent natural disasters, a proactive disaster management plan can mitigate the effects on your business and help speed your return to normal operations. This National Safety Month, SCORE shared several tips for developing a strategy: Develop An Operational Contingency Plan Assess the feasibility of operating out of nearby rented office or warehouse space, or even your home. Perhaps a mutual agreement with a friendly competitor to share space and other facilities is worth considering. Determine what equipment and other resources will be needed to continue operations. Important documents, backup copies of computer records, and other vital information should be stored at a secure off-site location or in the cloud. Jennifer Megliore felt the impact of Hurricane Matthew on her art retail business, ArtWare, on Hilton Head Island, S.C. in 2016. “My SCORE mentor encouraged me to have ... Read more