Prepare NOW for Spring Flooding: A Business Owner’s Guide from the South Dakota Departments of Public Safety and Emergency Management.
Floods are one of the most common and widespread of all disasters and continue to grow in frequency and severity. Businesses are more likely to flood than burn down, so it is vital to prepare now. Most businesses can save between 20% and 90% on the cost of stock and movable equipment by taking action to prepare in advance of flooding.
What Are the Costs?
How quickly your company can get back to business after a flood often depends on emergency planning done today. If businesses are READY to survive and recover, the nation and our economy are more secure. A commitment to planning today will help support employees, customers, the community, the local economy and even the country. It also protects your business investment and gives your company a better chance for survival.
Ready Business outlines commonsense measures business owners and managers can take to start getting ready. It provides practical steps and easy-to-use templates to help you plan for your company’s future. It also provides useful links to resources providing more detailed business continuity and disaster preparedness information. However, putting a plan in motion will improve the likelihood that your company will survive and recover. The following information is a good start for small- to mid-sized businesses. Companies that already have their emergency plans in place can continue to help create a more robust sustainable community by mentoring businesses in their own supply chain and others needing advice.
Preparing makes good business sense. Get ready now. Plan to stay in business
You should plan in advance to manage any emergency situation. Assess the situation, use common sense and available resources to take care of yourself, your co-workers and your business’s recovery: The following checklist will help keep your business afloat even if the worst happens
- Be Informed: Know what kinds of emergencies might affect your company. https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/FloodPreparednessSBA.pdf
- Develop an emergency plan—design a flood evacuation route and share it with employees so they can get themselves and customers to higher ground, if it becomes necessary. Also, be sure to have an emergency kit onsite, in case people are stuck in the building. Go to FEMA Inland Flooding Business Toolkit
- Continuity Planning: Carefully assess how your company functions, both internally and externally.
- Safeguard key information—be sure you keep copies of flood insurance and other key business information in a safe place where it won’t be damaged or swept away by flooding.
- Prepare your building—depending on your building layout, it may be worth getting a sump pump to help minimize potential damage. Be sure to keep gutters and drains clear of debris, and to anchor fuel tanks. Also, if possible, minimize storage of especially valuable assets in the lowest-lying areas of the building.
- Emergency Supplies: Think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth. For more information on any of these topics, go to: http://www.ready.gov/business
- Ensure you have an emergency communication plan in place for your employees prior to the storm, evacuation, or threat. Stay tuned to local media and evacuate when required
- Life safety is paramount; Send non-critical staff home
- If you have elevators in your building, raise elevators to the second floor and turn off
- Stay tuned to local media and evacuate when required
- Take cell phones, charger, critical hardware, and emergency kits with you
- Unplug electrical items before leaving and consider redirecting your business phone to a cell phone or answering service.
Additional resources:
https://dps.sd.gov/emergency-services/emergency-management
www.twitter.com/sdpublicsafety
