3 Ways to Prepare Your Hickory Business for Disaster

8/10/2021 (Permalink)

Fire and water damages can disrupt your business operations, but you can plan ahead to mitigate the disruption!

There’s no telling when—or if—your Hickory, NC business will have a disaster. You could have a fire, your pipes could burst and flood your office, mold can disrupt your operations, and so much more. Unfortunately, more than 40% of businesses that endure a disaster don’t reopen their doors, and many that do, close down a short time later. But if you’re prepared for the inevitable, you can mitigate the risk and increase the odds of your business’ survival.

How to Protect Your Business

1. Make sure your business is properly insured. For many people, insurance is one of those things you don’t want until you really need it. Even though it’s an extra expense up front, if you ever do have a disaster, it can save you thousands of dollars in the long run. While you have the opportunity, call your insurance representative and review your policies — and discuss other options that might be beneficial!

2. Develop an emergency plan. Do your employees know what to do if you have flooding or a fire? Do you? If not, work with your team (including other executives, HR, and marketing) to devise both an operational and a PR strategy in the event of a disaster. Once the plan is devised, it should be regularly reviewed and updated, so if something does happen, you can immediately respond and mitigate damages.

3. Keep backup copies of all documents and data. Equipment can be replaced, but not all documents can. Vital records can be damaged or destroyed in a disaster, so be sure to back them up and store them in a safe location. Generally, it’s recommended to keep digital copies of everything and have them backed up in the cloud.

Your Restoration Professionals

The last thing any business owner wants is to have a disaster on their property. Although disasters can’t always be prevented, you can take steps to mitigate the damage. If your Hickory-based business does have a disaster, though, our team at SERVPRO of Alexander, Caldwell, Burke and Catawba Counties is always here to help!