How can a business owner prepare for a natural disaster in Conyers, GA?
It is easy to prepare for expected natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, and droughts. The government makes an effort to warn homeowners and businesses of impending natural disasters to prepare in advance and protect themselves. However, We may not always expect disasters such as disease outbreaks, explosions, wildfires. It would be best to prepare well for both expected and unforeseen disasters. Failing to have a plan to respond to natural disasters can be a major setback for a small business.
Here are tips to help you protect your company property, workers, and customers when disaster strikes:
Anticipate Disasters
There are many types of natural disasters. Knowing which ones are likely to strike in your area and affect your business is the first step in protecting your business assets, employees, and clients, even though Conyers is one of the safest cities in Georgia.
Here are some of the disasters you need to prepare for:
- Lightning. Conyers has a lightning score of 43 percent.
- Hurricanes from June to November.
- Tornadoes from April to June. There are about 30 tornadoes every year, with Conyers having a tornado score of 6.2 percent.
- Wildfires.
- Hail score of 19.7 percent.
Contingency Plan
Prepare how you will keep your employees and customers safe in case of a disaster. An evacuation plan is always important. Train your employees on how to respond and carry out drills to see if the plan is viable. Take note of things such as:
- Evacuation route. It is a good practice to have several exit doors in your building. The emergency exit doors need to be unobstructed and safe. Employees need to know where they are located and where they lead.
- Where to meet after the disaster strikes – In case of a fire, you need a fire assembly place where all employees and clients gather for a headcount. Other disasters also require to have a similar plan such that if a tornado struck during working hours, you all know the designated place to meet for further assistance.
- Where to shelter – You are required to have a safe location within your business premises where employees and clients can shelter in place until it is safe to leave the building.
- Communication with employees. How will you keep in touch with your employees and managers in case of a disaster? The disaster could either prevent them from reporting to work or leaving the work premises. You need to have their home and emergency contact details to maintain communication until they are safe.
- Business continuity plan with details on where your business will continue operating until the premises are safe for re-entry. Where essential business documents are stored and how to retrieve them, as well as important contact details. Keep an address book with the numbers of your auto insurance company, business insurance company, disaster response teams, recovery companies, clients, and employees. In the unfortunate event that you lose employees during the disaster, you also need to notify their next of kin. You, therefore, need to keep this information in a safe location.
Data Backup
Lightning causes computers to shut off suddenly, which can destroy the computer hardware. It can lead to the loss of key business, client, and financial data. While there are ways to recover data lost, it can be costly and sometimes impossible. Power outages cause US businesses data losses worth $7,900 every minute. Apart from lightning, other natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes can cause destructive power outages. To protect your business from data loss, you need to invest in an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). It will give your employees and managers a few minutes to turn off their computers safely in case of power interruptions.
Keeping your computers on grounds above the flood level can give temporary protection. However, the best way to keep your business data safe is by creating a backup in an external server. Cloud storage and virtual private servers are ideal for backing up your business data. You can also make copies of your essential physical documents and keep the original copies in an offsite location. You will also need copies of your software, car insurance, life insurance, and business insurance policies, alongside details such as purchase information, license numbers, and policy numbers. Please keep this information safe because insurance companies will need it to process claims and help you recover fast.
Emergency Supplies
Ensure that your business can continue with normal operations even after losing access to your suppliers. Backup supplies can save you on a rainy day.
If your employees are stuck in the office, ensure they can survive without risking their lives by stocking basic supplies such as:
- A gallon of bottled water for each day.
- Non-perishable food.
- Blankets.
- First aid kit.
- Battery-powered radio for receiving updates.
- Local maps.
- Flashlight.
- Sanitary items such as toiletries and bathing soaps.
Get Business Insurance in Conyers, GA.
Business insurance can help your business recover from income losses, lawsuits, and other losses. However, catastrophe insurance offers the best coverage against natural disasters like floods, hail, tornadoes, and hurricanes. If you have vehicles, get the right auto insurance coverage to protect you and third parties. While car insurance is the most common type of liability coverage, it may not meet all your insurance needs in case of a natural disaster. Talk to a local agent about the available insurance options in Conyers, GA.
In addition, insurance companies need evidence that the property damage or loss of lives resulted from the disaster. Keeping a regularly updated photo gallery of your premises can be of great help. Please take photos of your store every once in a while and save them in your cloud storage. Call the insurance company at least every quarter to see if your policy is up to date. If you cannot often call, find out the peak times of different types of disasters in Conyers, GA, and ask for automated updates about your insurance coverage before that time. Even though Conyers is one of the safest cities in the US, ensure that your policy is up to date between April and November every year as these are the months with the most natural disasters in Georgia.
Looking for insurance coverage for your business in Conyers, GA? Call 770-483-1800 for a free quote
The Tabb Insurance Agency in Conyers, GA, is the answer to all your insurance needs. Whether you need business insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, or home insurance, we’ve got you covered. We secure your future and the future of your business, family, home, employees, property, and new car. The advantage of working with us is that we evaluate your needs against different coverages from multiple insurance companies. We are the local agent for providers such as AmTrust Financial, Auto-Owners Insurance, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Builders Insurance Group, CHUBB, CAN, DONEGAL Insurance Group, FOREMOST Insurance Group, Grange, and HAGERTY. Bob Tabb, one of the Tabb Insurance Agency owners, has been serving the Atlanta community, born and raised since 1977.
Ours is not just an insurance company; we are family. As such, we protect the lives, health, property, homes, and businesses of the community around Conyers, GA, as if our lives depend on it. When you insure your family or business through our agency, you can rest assured of the lowest rates available. Please read about our experience in protecting lives on our website. You can visit us on SW Conyers, GA 30012 for a free consultation on insuring yourself, your business, your vehicles, your home, and your employees. You can also fill our online contact form or call 770-483-1800 for a free quote.