Don’t simply rely on the government or your insurance company to bail your business out in the face of a natural disaster. Despite the recent budget agreements in Washington, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the budget arguments continue when it comes to how to pay for disaster relief. Consider challenging the status quo of waiting for government assistance or waiting to make a plan after a problem occurs. If you don’t want to wait to get back to business, be an industry leader and create a tentative disaster preparedness plan in advance of an emergency situation.

5 Disaster Preparedness Plan Tips

1. Create a complete organizational flowchart with the contact information for everyone in your department or division and a clear designation of who should contact who if an emergency message needs to be relayed quickly to all of your staff. Designate specific employees as the go-to people for emergency information.

2. Brainstorm with other managers and with your employees about what your disaster preparedness needs might be. Does your location leave you in danger from a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or other disaster? Are there any preventative measures you could take to reduce the impact of such an unexpected event? Is your business especially sensitive to loss of power? Could limited functionality be achieved if you purchased a few generators in advance of a disaster?

3. Do a little research to find out what others in your industries are doing to prepare for natural disasters or weather emergencies. Challenging the status quo means going above and beyond what most of your industry cohorts are doing, which can give you a competitive advantage if disaster does strike.

4. Consider the needs of your employees in a disaster situation. Is there any way that your building could serve as an emergency shelter for your employees and their families? Are there any other services you could provide to help your employees in the face of unforeseen circumstances?

5. Ask for volunteers to form an organizational disaster preparedness team that can meet occasionally to monitor possibly threatening conditions, make plans, and meet needs as they arise. This team could also serve to keep employees informed about important safety information. If flash flooding is expected in your area, the team could send out an email to remind employees about how to stay safe in a flash flood.

How is your business challenging the status quo and preparing for disasters?