4 Tips to Help Your Business Prepare for Hurricane Season

Hurricanes can have devastating effects. Taking steps to mitigate human, financial and operational risk before a disaster can enable businesses to sustain themselves during the event and while recovering from the impact. A weather monitoring system helps you prepare for severe weather by delivering accurate forecasts and real-time information for effective decision-making.

1.      Conduct a Risk Assessment

Assets at risk from hazards during a major storm range from potential staff injuries to the destruction of data. Evaluate the interior and exterior of the facility, noting possible environmental impact scenarios. Weaknesses may include trees near power lines or windows and potential exposure to hazardous materials.

2.      Establish an Emergency Action Plan

Put a plan in place that provides direction on a variety of critical business operations, from evacuation routes and procedures to backing up company records and individual employee duties. A comprehensive plan includes methods for reporting emergencies and communicating with specific authorities and managers.

3.      Know Your Resources

In the event of a catastrophe, many business owners do not know who to contact. Advanced preparation of a contact list in case of fire, flood or other potential disasters can help expedite evaluation and cleanup processes, allowing operations to get back to normal quickly.

4.      Have a Business Continuity Plan

Identify the systems and processes that must be available to keep the organization functioning and the best methods for maintaining them. Businesses that back up their data periodically to an off-site server are less likely to be devastated if a catastrophic event occurs.

Mitigate Risk

Preparation is an on-going process. Plans should be revisited on an annual or semi-annual basis and modified to match operational and business changes. Disaster recovery services can mitigate the financial and operational risk that results from natural and manmade events that disrupt normal business operations. Visit EarthNetworks.com for solutions and tools that enable you to prepare for the worst-case scenario.