IMPACT: Risk Management – Disaster Toolkit for Businesses

IMPACT: Risk Management – Disaster Toolkit for Businesses

Inadequately prepared companies are at the risk of closed operations, indescribable losses, and even the safety of their personnel in the course of hurricanes. Due to the impact of these powerful storms, creating a disaster toolkit is crucial in establishing a business’ ability to respond to the effects of these disasters. A disaster toolkit has all the tools that a business needs to protect workers, properties, and, most importantly, their operations before, during, and after the occurrence of a hurricane. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) states that small businesses that experience significant disasters may close down, and a maximum of 90% will fail this if they cannot resume operations in a short time. Preparing for  disaster relief enables the firms to be protected adequately, reduces recovery time, protects their employees and strengthens their financial position. In this blog, you will find out what should be included in a hurricane disaster kit, how to prepare one, and how to properly store it in the future.

Essential Items in a Business Disaster Toolkit

Emergency Supplies

A disaster kit should then contain various items that would be helpful to employees during a hurricane or any related disaster. The very basics include cash, portable generator, gasoline, First aid kits, flashlights, batteries, solar chargers, cases water, radio, and canned/processed foods supplies for a month. These supplies guarantee the business and employees have access to necessities  in stock in any disaster or emergency. Other essential accessories include life jackets, backup batteries, sand bags, water pumps, raise essential equipment/supplies, walkie talkies, bright safety vests, 2 to 5 gallon zip lock bags and the appropriate insurances in place. Having these basic supplies on the shelf can make a crucial difference in protecting the employees and keeping the leaders communicating.

Backup Communication Devices

While working during hurricanes, there often needs to be more communication with the personnel or receiving emergency information. To manage this risk, the communication backup devices should form part of a contingency plan that most businesses should consider necessary during a disaster. Some examples of such devices are satellite phones and two-way radios, portable and walkie-talkies that do not rely on cell nets. These devices enable employees to communicate with management, receive important information, and thus coordinate their actions in an emergency. Build a the list of such contacts, outside of your cell phone, including, but not limited to, emergency services, local authorities, and key suppliers and vendors, keeping critical communication links remain open when they are required the most.

Essential Documents and Data Backup

The integrity of business documents and data must be kept during a disaster to ensure their availability for decision-making. These documents include financial records, employee data files, legal papers, and client agreements. Businesses should make multiple physical and digital copies, secure the physical documents in waterproof folders/2 gallon ziplock freezer bags and save them in a cloud platform, where they can be accessed remotely when available. Keeping actual paper records and other vital documents that should be backed up offsite will also work as a backup. Customers’ vital data protection also supports firms’ quicker and more efficient restoration practices, reducing organizational and client’ impact.

Resources and Support Networks

Local Emergency Services and Resources

Most cities and counties also have special disaster preparedness programs that equip businesses with materials, information, and assistance in a disaster. These programs can provide businesses with tools, information, and services that help them prepare to mitigate hurricane impacts and recover from hurricanes.

The American Institute of Architects also has local chapters with members who are certified Safety Assessment Program members.  Reach out to your local organization and governmental leadership to create Memorandums of Understandings for their services in the aftermath of disaster when other emergency services may be overloaded.

 Support Networks with Other Businesses

After a disaster, there is an incredible amount of camaraderie around help. When companies liaise with neighbors and other businesses, they can share equipment, help each other, and work together to carry out the recovery process. For instance, if one company owns generators, it may grant periodic access to other businesses in the area to stay running for a short time. Likewise, storytelling builds vital hurricane awareness by exchanging information concerning evacuation procedures, storms, and suppliers. Working with other companies can help strengthen business and achieve better cooperation during the recovery process.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)

The psychological and emotional impacts of the disaster may have highly adverse effects on human resources, and recovery services must be part of the disaster management program. Some available Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) include counseling, mental health services, and financial assistance to meet hurricane-related stresses. Providing EAP services may benefit employees, have health and attendance benefits, and positively impact the organization. Integrating EAP resources in the disaster management tool kit is a valuable way of showing an organization’s continuing concern for human capital’s well-being, which is critical during disaster recovery.

 Maintaining and Updating the Toolkit

Regular Inventory Checks

A disaster toolkit is only as good as its contents and the content must be up to date. Every company should carry out some stock checks, at least before the beginning of the hurricane season, to ensure that everything is up to date. Nonperishable foods, drinking water, batteries, and first aid supplies should be inspected for their usability shelf-life and replenished if necessary. Preparing such checks before the storm season also discourages time constraints that are usually associated with the arrival of a hurricane.

We encourage businesses and communities to begin preparing before hurricane season. Non-perishable and critical items such as bleach, cleaning supplies, water, gasoline, bug spray, paper towels, toiletries etc are usually the first to go when the stores become crowded.  Bulk can food and processed food can be donated to a local food bank or homeless shelter after the season instead of reaching its expiration date in the toolkit.

Cash resources are also critical.  The type of business you own and the number of employees, will help determine the amount of cash on hand required.  Post disaster may impare electrical services, internet services, credit card and debit card service, ATM machines and banking hours.  Institutions may also limit the amount of cash available to its customers.  Have one or more safes, in one or more locations, can help mitigate these challenges and provide the additional support to staff as needed

Incorporating Employee Feedback

Pre-hurricane employees or those who have been through emergency simulations will likely contribute to developing disaster kits. This way, business people can see where the current tool or procedure needs more feedback and make necessary changes. For instance, particular employees will propose extra product types, including extra phone chargers or specific first-aid supplies. They may provide feed back on employee safety and ways to better support their families, while they support the company.  The survey may also reveal the need for an assessment – for the company, employee standard operating procedures, back up communication systems and supplemental transportation needs.  The survey allows the  company’s management to receive and modify their disaster preparedness approach based on the feedback, making the toolkit reflect actual experiences and challenges employees encounter.

Conducting Disaster Drills

Emergency training and practice is imperative.  How to prepare is vastly different than supplies.  The physical preparations ensures that employees are aware of their positions and duties in case of a disaster; they learn how to work through disaster drills and use any special  items in the disaster toolkit. In coastal areas, tsunami drill become critical, as only minutes may be afforded to get to high ground, leaving no time to lock up or collect excessive belonging.  How to evacuate your workplace, the designated location for employee counts, the use of safety equipment, or practicing the use of alternative communication equipment become essential reflex knowledge. These practice session enhance general readiness and assist the employees to be more comfortable and ready to respond.

CONCLUSION

Preparedness is essential. Using the lessons learned from hurricane warnings, companies can obtain emergency supplies, spare communication equipment, and other crucial items, thus minimizing the effects of a hurricane. Communications with services, the creation of networks, the focus on employees, and satisfaction can also help enhance a business’s response to these disasters. Maintaining the toolkit and always having it ready is essential to preparing various businesses to handle the challenges of hurricane season. For most firms based in regions where hurricanes are possible, developing and continually enhancing a preparedness kit isn’t a formality but a foundation for protection from long-term vulnerability.