By Gwen Camp
Being prepared for disasters is everyone’s responsibility. As a business leader, you can make preparedness a norm in your organization and encourage your employees to talk about what they can do to be prepared at home and in the workplace. Disaster preparation is not as hard or as expensive as you might think. It can make a big difference to your bottom line and to your employees and their families.
As temperatures begin to drop and leaves are falling, America’s PrepareAthon! encourages individuals to learn about the hazards of winter storms that will most likely affect them at home and work in the coming months. A short, animated film When the Sky Turns Gray outlines the simple steps anyone can take to prepare themselves for the approaching winter weather and can be shared with your team and customers.
What I like most about When the Sky Turns Gray is how it shows the little mistakes we've all made that can make a big difference: forgetting to pack the ice scraper in the car or neglecting to plug in the smartphone or laptop before going to bed. This video really makes you think about how prepared -- or unprepared -- we all are.
If you're a business owner, the challenges go beyond preparing your home and protecting your family. Not only do you have to prepare your staff, but you must also ensure that your facility and product inventory are secure.
Disaster Preparedness: Taking Action
There are simple and affordable steps you can take to minimize the effects a powerful winter storm or a little bit of ice can have on your organization. One of the most important actions you can take is to review your insurance policies with your agents, brokers, or directly with your insurers to ensure you are covered sufficiently for any potential damages. Consider the following recommendations:
• Download the Insurance Coverage Review Worksheet.
• Review the risk assessment, identified hazards, and potential impacts to your business.
• Use the business impact analysis as a tool to quantify potential financial impacts.
• Examine any scenario that results in impacts to multiple facilities. Evaluate whether the limits of insurance are adequate.
• Compile an inventory of properties and assets and determine whether insurable values reflect inflation costs over time.
• Review whether your property insurance policies cover actual cash value or replacement cost.
• Be sure you understand deductibles, waiting periods before coverage begins, and procedures for notification of insurers when a loss occurs.
We are asking you as business leaders to talk with your staff about what can happen, what your plans are, and what to do to prepare for disasters. There are tools available online to download at www.ready.gov/prepare such as the video How to Prepare for a Winter Storm Guide as well as the Prepare Your Organization for a Winter Storm Playbook, which includes conversation guides and tabletop exercise scenarios to help you hold meaningful discussions with your staff.
To continue the conversation, encourage your employees to watch It Started Like Any Other Day to hear survivors talk about the perils of being unprepared when disaster strikes.
