If you own, rent or lease your property, preparedness is essential for maintaining business continuity. While reports vary, as many as 40 percent of small businesses do not reopen after a major disaster like a flood, tornado or earthquake. Conservative estimates are that during a major public health threat like pandemic flu, most business will suffer a 30 percent loss in their customary workforce for a prolonged period of up to six months. Businesses that failed as a result of disasters were essentially unprepared; they had no contingency plan or backup systems.

Whether you operate your business in an office building, mall, industrial complex or your home, there are steps you can take to be prepared for any man-made or natural disaster.

Business owners and facility managers are becoming more aware of the importance of converting paper-based pre-incident and business continuity plans into HTML.

Owners and managers support risk evaluations and encourage identification of events or environmental surroundings that could adversely affect or disrupt their business. A natural or man-made disaster can cause extended disruption in business and can be a financial catastrophe.

One of the first steps business continuity planners suggest is pre-planning. This encompasses pre-incident planning and risk evaluation. An all-hazards approach to pre-incident planning can provide management with insight into developing procedures that can help mitigate disasters. One of the first steps a business owner needs to have a clear understanding of the layout and operations of facility (building) where your business is located.

If disaster strikes, your business will lose time and money. Preparedness can establish necessary recovery procedures.

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