Business Disaster Recovery Tips > Designing a Flood Restoration Plan

In our last article, we discussed some of the ways that business owners can get back on their feet and salvage what’s left of their business after the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma. While the damage has come and gone, preparing yourself and your business for future disasters can ensure your financial future and protect your valued employees. In this installment, we’re going to focus on how to create a flood response plan to secure your assets, which starts with carrying the proper Business Owners’ Policy.

Choose a leader.

When a disaster strikes, you need someone who’s in charge to start implementing your disaster response plan. This person should be a leader and start getting everyone to safety as quickly as possible.

Determine the action steps.

According to Purdue University, determine the steps you need to reduce the impact of a flood. These mitigation steps can be:

• Physical actions, such as raising buildings above potential flood levels or moving out of highly flood-prone areas
• Personal or social actions, such as working to change land-use patterns to reduce flooding (by yourself and with your community)
• Financial actions, such as buying the appropriate flood insurance or building a contingency fund All three actions can be effective in your flood plan.

Protect your employees.

• Have on hand all personal protective equipment that might be required after a flood, such as goggles, masks, boots, and more.
• Ensure employees know their role and where to go during an emergency flood warning.
• Update contact information before the next hurricane season hits.
• Train employees on how to carry out the response plan before disaster hits; simulations and practice drills are effective.

Understand your risk.

The best way to prepare for an impending disaster is to know what your risks are. Take an inventory of the items that could be damaged, how that would impact your business, and how it can be prevented. For example, moving critical machinery, removing important documents, and saving any expensive POS systems should be a top priority.

About Preferred Insurance

At Preferred Insurance, we provide comprehensive Business Owners’ Policies, complete with Property Insurance, Building Contents protection, Equipment Breakdown, Business Interruption and more. We understand that your business is your lifeline, and we aim to give you the peace of mind you deserve with the necessary insurance to help you recover from a natural disaster. For more information about our products, as well as the specialized policies we offer, contact us today at (888) 943-5144.