As a life-long Gulf Coast resident, I really dread hurricane season.
Hurricane season runs June 1-Nov. 30, but history teaches us that our odds of a deadly storm increase in the next several weeks. Here are a few examples of major storms that caused loss of life and billions of dollars in damage in Texas:
- Sept. 9, 1900 – The 1900 Storm, Galveston
- Sept. 11, 1961 – Hurricane Carla
- Aug, 3, 1970 – Hurricane Cecilia
- Aug. 18, 1983 – Hurricane Alicia
- Sept. 24, 2005 – Hurricane Rita
- Sept. 13, 2008 – Hurricane Ike
- Aug. 25-29, 2017 – Hurricane Harvey
GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED
Before you can focus on your business, it’s good to have a plan for yourself, your family and pets. Supplies, an evacuation plan and a checklist of what you’ll need to pack if you leave are good to have on hand. There are plenty of resources online, including this Texas Hurricane Center site.
IS YOUR BUSINESS READY?
As with your home and personal property, have a hurricane preparedness checklist for your business. Online checklists and planning guides make it easy. The U.S. Small Business Administration has a number of planning guides to help prepare for and recover from a disaster. This will help you plan to protect your property and important documents and data, as well as facilitate recovery after a storm.
If you have employees, now is the time to ensure that your policies address issues related to a natural disaster. Here’s a partial checklist:
- Have you shared elements of your preparedness plan with your employees?
- Do you have a crisis communications plan to reach out to employees and customers?
- If your business is shut down temporarily, will some or all employees continue to be paid?
- Will you allow them to draw on their vacation and sick time?
- When and how will you restart your business and call employees back to work?
There’s great peace of mind in having these personal and business preparedness plans in place well in advance of a weather event.
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