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Published: May 29, 2019

Are you Storm Ready? Develop a Business Continuity Plan!

June 1st marks the official start of the 2019 hurricane season.  Heavy rains associated with tropical storms and hurricanes can put your business under water figuratively and literally. Is your business emergency ready? 

With the first names storm having already checked off the list, now is the time to prepare. Even if our luck holds in Central Florida and we don’t see any named storms, a number of other natural or manmade disasters can severely disrupt your business.  From floods and fires to cybersecurity issues, businesses today must be prepared for all hazards.

An estimated 40 percent of businesses never reopen after a major disaster.  Nearly 80 percent of businesses that do not recover from a disaster within one month are likely to go out of business and 75 percent of businesses without a continuity plan fail within three years of a disaster. Small business owners invest a tremendous amount of time, money, and resources on their businesses, yet most do not plan for disasters.  One of the most devastating losses in disasters isn’t property, it is data.  

According to recent studies, 70 percent of small businesses that experience a major data loss go out of business within one year.  Of those companies that experience catastrophic data losses, 43 percent never reopened.  We hope that your business never encounters a natural or manmade disaster, but we want to help you be prepared.  Insurance provides coverage for your physical assets, but it does not cover data loss, customer relationships or your business history. 

 

Here are a few key areas to consider when developing your business continuity plan:

People
Business Processes
Assets

 

Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Recovery Resources:

Marion County Emergency Management – http://www.marionso.com/emergency-management/
Hurricane Preparedness information, weather and storm alerts, sinkhole information, and Emergency Management Volunteer Programs.

Florida Division of Emergency Management – FloridaDisaster.biz
Resources to help your business Prepare, Respond, and Recover from hurricanes and other disasters.

FEMA – www.fema.gov/protecting-your-businesses
Resources and training to help protect your home and business.

Ready.gov – www.ready.gov/business
Videos and other resources to improve your disaster readiness.