[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsTnOrgiDgw?rel=0]
Natural disasters can pose a number of challenges to your business. Employees who can not get to the office to suppliers who can not deliver, roads and rails that are stuck, and ice that is knocking down power lines, disasters raise a number of obstacles for to do work.
What can a small business do? The answer is simple: get ready. You need to take steps like the 10 ways to prepare your business for a natural disaster highlighted in the video above.
How to prepare your small business for a natural disaster
Natural disasters come in all shapes and sizes, from local power outages to blizzards that shut entire regions. No matter the size, the goal is to keep your small business running while keeping your employees and customers safe.
First, you need to make sure your employees and customers are safe.
Start by buying safety equipment like fire extinguishers and first aid kits, then train your employees how to use them.
Also train a group of employees in basic first aid and CPR so that they can help injured clients and other employees.
Finally, make sure you have clearly identified escape routes and make sure they are accessible to employees with special needs.
Now that everyone is safe, you need to make sure your business stays operational.
Start preparing for a disaster by getting insurance that protects your business. Insurance is an easy way to recover from many of life's problems, and this also applies to your business.
Make sure your list of employee, customer and supplier contacts is up to date so that you can get in touch with everyone even if you can not get in the office.
To enable your employees to work, establish a second location where they can meet if the office is inaccessible. Better yet, keep your apps and data in the cloud so that everyone can continue to communicate and work even if he can not leave his home.
Finally, set up alternative suppliers in the event that a disaster hinders deliveries from them or yours.
See the complete list of 21 points for disaster preparedness.
Photos via Shutterstock