Could Your Business Survive a Disaster?

As the occurrences of hurricanes, floods, and fires increase across the U.S., small business owners should be thinking about having plans in place to (1) recover and (2) continue operations in case of a major loss because of these natural disasters. Small business owners should also have a plan in place for other potential threats such as power/server outages, hackers, or other attacks.

According to a survey done by Nationwide Insurance, 75% of small businesses do not have a disaster plan in place and 52% of these businesses have said it would take them at least three months to recover from a disaster. Even more alarming, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), up to 60% of small businesses never reopen their doors after a disaster.

This begs the question, could your small business ultimately survive a natural disaster?

Small businesses with plans in place to adapt to the change in environment after a disaster are more likely to recover, compared to businesses who do not. FEMA estimates that 90% of smaller businesses who don’t recover within the first five days after a disaster, fail within the first year of reopening their doors. To recover quickly, businesses should have at a minimum, the two plans discussed below in place in case of a disaster.

Disaster Recovery Plan