Planning for Disasters- Impacting KY Small Business

Charlie says I am a worrier; and I guess he is right. I want to plan for the positive, but in the back of my mind the "worst case scenario" is doing an irritating tap dance.

Does your Kentucky Small Business have a plan for disasters?

Have you ever thought about how your business would survive if there was a disaster like a flood, tornado, or God forbid something on the lines of Hurricane Katrina? Truth be told, we had not I am embarrassed to say.

Ask yourself

• How quickly can I reopen if the electric goes out for more than 2 days?



• Does your inventory require refrigeration? How can you quickly "power up?"



• If my building where destroyed, how quickly could I set up a temporary office to service my clients?



• How could you recover your computer data, acquire new servers etc?



• If there were a major disaster in your area, do you have a plan in place to be able to contact your employees?



• What would it take to get you up and running quickly?

A few days back, I sat in on a webinar sponsored by a trade publication, and presented by a company called Agility. Agility is an emergency response team for your business. They presented how they had helped an large insurance agency in Louisiana quickly regroup literally hours after Katrina hit. Agility secured modular offices, satellite phones, air conditioners, and numerous other "business essentials" to get the office back in business. (There's an article about the agency in the current edition of Powerful Connections.)

They also recounted situations where they had helped secure refrigeration units and the like, for industries that need such things like meat packers, wholesalers, and grocery stores. Very interesting concepts.

The Agility website has tips for Fire, Flood, Hurricane, Tornado and Earthquake preparedness for business continuity.

Now of course Agility is selling it's services. Living in an area prone to flooding, it surely made me think. We are a family business, and our logistics for re-opening would not be as complex as a company with hundreds of employees. For now, we will forgo outside help. Nevertheless, we need a plan.

If you already have a disaster plan review it. Especially if you have a high dependency on Internet to keep your business open. Establish protocol for your employees to check-in and get in touch. Think about power generators. (Remember a few years back when Lexington KY was under snow and without power?)

We all think it "will never happen to us." But it could. Are you ready?

I'll always be a worrier, but with a new plan in place I will worry a little less about business, and a little more about what hat to wear to the Derby! BIG SMILES

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Charlie Pinson Insurance is a family owned Kentucky Independent Insurance Agency. The above post does not constitute endorsement of a product or service. Charlie Pinson Insurance, and our sister agencies, Triple B Insurance and C & B Insurance, offer Kentucky Workers Compensation, BOP's Business Owners Policies, and a number of employee benefit products including Kentucky health insurance. Call us at 606.433.0031 or check out our website at www.pinsoninsurance.com