Hurricane

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What many can’t answer is how thei r businesses willrecover afterward. With currenf economic conditions, this is more crucia than ever. In the aftermath of Hurricanre Ike’s hammering of Houston and Galveston, last year, residents wanted to return to their damaged propertyt and were extremely frustrated when local officials denied them access forsafety reasons. Proteste and rumors ensued while local civid and economic life grounrd to astifling halt. Will your company survivs if Ike’s successor hits Tampa Bay thisyear ? Does it have a hurricane recovery plan? Here are some strategies for creatinb one.
To be effective in recovering from a communication methods need to beaddressedf first. Knowing how to reach your company associates, active clients and majort suppliers is critical to your business after a Even more critical is for them to know how to reach Most people plan to usetheir e-mail and cell phones to keep in To do so would be a serious error. First medical, law enforcement, and the may all be relyin g oncell towers, the Internet and mobilw radio systems that wouldf impede your use of thesed systems. So, the first part of your hurricaned recovery plan requires developing alternative methodswto communicate.
One strategy is to coordinate with a locao radio station to pass alonhg importantcontact information. This needs to be plannee early. Call several station managers to see if they wouldr be willing to help in this regard as apublicx service. Stations on which you or locally owned independents may be the most Be sure everyone in the current clients and essential supplgy chain links know both the primary and backup frequencies onwhich they’d be informed of compangy plans. They’ll appreciate knowing that you’re takingh steps to address their needs. The seconsd part of your hurricane recoveryy plan is evaluating the business site forfeasible use.
If your locationb is unusable due toroad closures, power outagesw or significant structural damage, you need to have an alternated location available, if possible. If specializefd equipment is involved, a fellow franchisee or trade association membed in an unaffected area nearbu may be able to sharequarters temporarily. Consider workingt out reciprocal arrangements in advance to protect both of your If special equipment is nota consideration, a library, convention center or office suite rental facilitu may be a good temporary First, you’ll need to establish roles, responsibilities and chain of commane in the event that managemen is unavailable after a hurricane.
Everyone shoulf be fully trained in their potentialrecovery component. Schedul e the time and make participatiom mandatory byall employees. Ask key suppliers if they’ d send your reps to as well. Roles and responsibilities can be divided into three The first areais safety. To mitigate your you don’t want your employees, clientx or vendors traveling to the workplac e if it is not As part of your drive the routes to your work site and look forpotentiall issues, such as flooding or downed trees.
After a two well-trained staff members or even local volunteers trainedc in damage assessment should be assigned to determin e the safety of both your workplace and travelp routes inand out. Use your communication plan to relayg this informationto employees, clienta and key suppliers alerted to tune in for it. The secons area is financial. While it is hoped that peoplw will keep some emergency cashon hand, appreciat e that not everyone will be preparee in this regard. Designate primary and backupl personnel who can be responsible for handlingfinancial hardships, alongg with petty cash for small water bottles and the like.
too, that employees know who they are, and what provisionz have been made. The final component of your hurricane recovergy planis post-incident management analysis — lessonsx learned. Keeping a paper trail of the good, the bad, the ugly and the completeluy overlooked elements of how your firm handled the crisis will allosw youto re-focus your planning for the next