Disaster Tips for Small Business Owners | SERVPRO® of Western Dutchess County

1/10/2020 (Permalink)

Small businesses are the most vulnerable when it comes to disasters and the downtime it takes in order to reopen.

A natural disaster is always a frightening thing, but if it is headed for your business in Fishkill, it can be even more alarming. Small businesses are especially vulnerable to natural disasters due to the downtime they can cause—when a disaster causes a business to need restoration before it can reopen, that creates a loss in revenue that can be critical.

Fortunately, planning ahead for natural disasters and how your business can recover from them can reduce the time it takes to get back up and running. For that reason, we have compiled some of the most crucial tips that small business owners should know about preparing for a natural disaster.

1. Double-Check Your Insurance
While commercial insurance policies are generally enough for day-to-day incidents that might occur, when it comes to a disaster, regular coverage may not suffice. Because every insurance plan is different, understanding your specific policy and the extra coverage options that are available to you will help you be certain you are covered for anything that comes your way.

2. Create Your Action Plan
Being able to spring into action as soon as a disaster becomes imminent is key. Weather patterns and other emergencies can happen in an instant, and official orders to evacuate often come on extremely short notice. Plan both for an evacuation scenario and one where you and your staff must remain at your business until it is declared safe so you can be doubly prepared.

3. Rehearse Drills and Prepare Staff
As you make your emergency action plan, getting your staff involved is a wise choice so that everyone is on the same page. Clue them in to the official plan and construct disaster drills so they can practice what to do in a real-life scenario. Not only will this keep everyone fully prepared at all times, but it will also lessen your business’ liability in the event of an emergency.

4. Choose a Restoration Company to Work With
One of the most critical parts of the process, choosing the restoration company you would like to work with following a disaster will be the biggest factor in how quickly you can reopen. Making sure you choose a company with a quick response time and advanced training specific to commercial incidents is important, and doing this in advance will ensure all your questions can get answered and you are able to choose without the external pressure of needing to rush.

If you need to pick a commercial restoration company that’s right for you, call us today! We can tell you all about what sets our process apart.