Be Sure Your Dutchess County Business or Commercial Property Is Ready for Disasters!

1/26/2021 (Permalink)

It's never too early to have a plan in place for potential disasters that could affect your business.

Do you and your family own a business or commercial buildings in Beacon or the surrounding communities? If so, you know how important being able to operate on schedule can be to your life and livelihood.

You probably have plans in place to deal with vacations, the holiday rush and busy weekends already. You have accountants or bookkeepers to plan for tax season, perhaps an office or property manager and a schedule to help you deal with the day to day. You probably have a carefully planned budget, too. 

But have you planned for a disaster? If not, now is a good time to start thinking about how your business would handle the unexpected. We've all been forced to re-think our day-to-day due to COVID-19 but have you thought about other situations?

This is an important step for business owners because these events can’t be predicted, but they can greatly impact your business’ success. A solid disaster plan can help you reopen your business more quickly and even stop service disruptions in some cases.

Disasters That Can Impact Business Owners

Ready.gov, a website operated by the U.S. government, lists several disaster scenarios that businesses should have plans in place for. They include:

-Natural disasters- Floods, wildfires and storms can all cause significant damage to businesses.

-Health emergencies- Contagious illnesses, like COVID-19 or the flu, can sometimes cause a business to close, as can government or health organization orders to handle those illnesses.

-Violent acts- These can include accidents and intentional acts.

-Technology failures- Long-term power outages or equipment failures can be included in this plan.

What to Include in Your Plan

The Small Business Administration and Ready.gov offer helpful resources and checklists designed to help you plan for any disaster, keep in mind some basic tips that will help you get ready for any disaster:

Have a business evacuation plan. Know all the entrances and exits, and be sure your employees do, too. Have routes posted, and be sure employees know where fire extinguishers are located.

Keep a good inventory of what is inside your business. Your insurance company will want to know what’s damaged (if anything is).  Accurate inventories make a difference. Photos are a great backup plan as well, the more the better.

Plan for communication with your employees and customers. This can be via email, phone, text or social media. Keeping everyone updated on your business and its progress keeps it top of mind.

Work with a reputable restoration company. Restoring your business efficiently, economically and logically is vital to being able to open your doors again. Working with a company like SERVPRO of Western Dutchess County can make a big difference.

If your business needs commercial restoration services, the local teams at SERVPRO of Western Dutchess County have the experience and equipment to meet your needs and help get your business ready to open its doors again. We’re here to help 24/7 no matter what kind of emergency you’re facing. Peace of mind is just a phone call away at (845)831-3600.