Protecting Your Business, tips on hurricane preparedness

2022-06-23
By: Advocate Brokerage

Even if your business is not physically located in the path of a hurricane, it can be affected by the sometime catastrophic damage left behind by a hurricane. Hurricanes can cause supply chain issues, airport closings, power outages, not to mention the fact that you may have customers or vendors located in the path of the storm. In short, they can cause a disruption to your business.

 

90% of Small / Mid-sized Businesses Fail Within A Year Of Disruption If They Can’t Resume Normal Business Within 5 Days

 

How Can You Protect Your Business?

The best way to protect your business from a disruption due to the damage left in a Hurricane’s wake is to prepare for them ahead of time! With hurricane season on the horizon it makes sense to take steps now to make sure you’ve done all you can to prepare your business for this type of natural disaster. Our top tips for business owners who need to prepare their business for a hurricane are:

• Develop an emergency plan. Make sure it includes well-thought-out plan for both evacuation and sheltering in place. Once the plan has been developed, make sure you communicate it to your staff and that it is accessible to all employees.
• Keep hard copies of your key company contacts and a copy of your client contact list that is accessible outside of your computer system.
• Make sure your assets are safe. If you have inventory or equipment that is stored in a location that makes it vulnerable to damage, move it to a safer location if possible. Additionally, take all the necessary safety precautions to ensure that your buildings and personal property will be protected in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane.
• Put together a business continuity plan so that if a hurricane does hit, you are able to resume operation as quickly as possible. That can include securing data and empowering employees to work from home if possible.
• Have a conversation with your insurance broker to ensure that you have the coverage you need should a natural disaster such as a hurricane occur. An insurance specialist like the ones at Advocate Brokerage can put together a policy that safeguards against the specific risks that your business might face.

 

For all of us here at Advocate Brokerage, it is about more than just insurance, it’s about you. We never want to see our clients have the need to file a claim without adequate insurance in place to cover the loss. If you have not taken the time to have a conversation with us about your insurance portfolio and how to compensate for inflation, we encourage you to give us a call!