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WSBDC offers readiness tips
Small businesses crucial in disaster response, recovery
Tuesday, Apr. 17, 2012
By Hope Belli Tinney, WSU News
VANCOUVER, Wash. - How well your community responds and recovers after a disaster will depend in large part on how quickly small businesses can get up and running - selling food, selling gas, attending to the myriad needs that people will face following a catastrophic event.
That’s one reason the Washington Small Business Development Network (WSBDC) is encouraging small business owners to take an hour or two this month to begin developing an emergency response plan. April is Disaster Preparedness Month in Washington state.
That’s one reason the Washington Small Business Development Network (WSBDC) is encouraging small business owners to take an hour or two this month to begin developing an emergency response plan. April is Disaster Preparedness Month in Washington state.
The WSBDC is a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Washington State University other institutions of higher education and economic development agencies.
Buck Heidrick, a certified business advisor with the WSBDC, said the four key phases for both personal safety and business survival are plan, prepare, respond and recover.
Small business owners need to create a personal disaster plan for themselves and their family first, he said: "No one will be able to concentrate on their business until they know their loved ones are safe, so that has to happen first.”
From a community perspective, he said, small businesses that have planned for a disaster and are positioned to recover quickly will be critical to surviving the catastrophe with as little disruption as possible.
According to the Emergency Management Division of the Washington Military Department, nearly 85 percent of the critical infrastructure in this country is owned by the private sector. Additionally, about 91 percent of Americans live in areas at moderate to high risk of earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, terrorism or other natural or man-made disaster.
"Government can only do so much,” said Heidrick, who also is a fire commissioner in Clark County. He said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s disaster plans include small businesses as key partners in the recovery phase.
Small businesses with up-to-date, workable emergency response plans are far more likely to survive a catastrophe, Heidrick said. According to the state Emergency Management Division, nearly 40 percent of all businesses that close because of a disaster never reopen.
Planning for an emergency does not have to take a lot of time, but a WSBDC advisor can help small businesses anticipate and address the key issues that could mean the difference between survival and closure.
The WSBDC can help businesses customize a plan, but here are some tips from the U.S. Small Business Administration for getting started:
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Develop a solid emergency response plan. Find evacuation routes from the home or business and establish meeting places. Keep emergency phone numbers handy. Business owners should designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors.
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Create a "Disaster Survival Kit.” The kit should include a flashlight, portable radio, extra batteries, first-aid supplies, non-perishable food, bottled water, basic tool kit, plastic sheeting and garbage bags, cash and a digital camera to take pictures of the property damage after the event.
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Have adequate insurance coverage. Homeowners and business owners should review their policies to see what is or isn’t covered - and make sure they’ll have enough to rebuild after a disaster. Companies should consider business interruption insurance, which helps cover operating costs during the post-disaster shutdown period.
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Copy important records. Keep a copy of vital records and information saved on computer hard drives and store that information at a distant offsite location in fireproof safe deposit boxes. Have copies/backups of important documents ready to take if evacuation is necessary. These records will be crucial for filing for disaster relief.
The WSBDC has provided one-to-one business advising, at no cost, to entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state for more than 30 years. The WSBDC network includes 28 certified business advisors working in 24 locations across the state and four international trade specialists working in Spokane and South Seattle.
To talk with the WSBDC business advisor nearest you, go here and type in your zip code at the top of the page.
Contacts:
Buck Heidrick, WSBDC, buck.heidrick@wsbdc.org, 360-260-6369
Hope Belli Tinney, WSU News, hopbe@wsu.edu, 509-335-8741
Buck Heidrick, WSBDC, buck.heidrick@wsbdc.org, 360-260-6369
Hope Belli Tinney, WSU News, hopbe@wsu.edu, 509-335-8741
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