Are you running a business in an area that is prone to earthquakes?
If so, you’ll need a plan right away so that you can keep it running.
Your plan must keep your staff and yourself safe. You’ll also need to keep important business information alive.
Earthquakes can cause great damage to your company’s building. They can also make it hard to set up shop in a new location.
Natural disasters are an even bigger threat to smaller businesses. These companies lack the resources that major corporations have for these situations.
Having a preparedness plan will have you covered. It can keep the information about your offerings and finances secure. This makes it easy to repair your establishment or move it over to a safer area.
That’s where we come in, as we have the information that keeps your company and staff safe and sound.
So, how can you create the ultimate earthquake preparedness plan for small businesses?
Address Chances of Earthquakes
First, you need is to establish your chances of encountering an earthquake.
The average strength of an earthquake is between five and six. The strongest earthquake in history took place in 1960 in Bio-Bio, Chile.
Earthquakes in the United States often take place in the North and Southwest. But smaller earthquakes have taken place on the East Coast in the past.
Countries where earthquakes are most common include Japan, Indonesia, Iran, Tonga and China.
If you recently set up offices in earthquake-prone locations, our services can help you set up a plan for whoever is in charge of these offices.
This will make them ready if a disaster takes place.
Talk to Emergency Services About Your Earthquake Preparedness Plan
Consulting with experts in fields of your interest make a major difference in how well you are able to handle them yourself.
The American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency keep people safe during and after disasters.
You can find offices for these organizations in your area and ask how to keep your staff and company data secure during an earthquake. They can give you tips on running parallel generators and other important equipment.
They can provide classes for CPR and first-aid training so that you can help people in severe danger. This will help while you’re waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Local chapters also provide free online courses for how to stay prepared for earthquakes.
Establish Evacuation Routes and Safe Havens
Guaranteeing the safety of your staff is your top priority for your earthquake preparedness plan.
Part of this task involves knowing where to stay inside when the earthquake happens. You must also know where to go once the shaking stops.
The general tip for staying safe while inside a building during an earthquake is to drop down on the floor, seek cover and hold on to something bolted to the ground. It is also important to stay inside and away from the windows, as broken glass can cause further injuries.
If you’re currently still constructing company buildings where this disaster is common, then our data can provide tips on how to design and build certain parts. You can ensure that people working in the office during an earthquake can find cover and protection.
There’s also the chance that some staff members will be outside going for a walk or having lunch with friends. They should know where to go in this situation to stay safe during and after the shaking.
Your plan should also include a safe route for people inside to go through to get to a safe haven for security until emergency services arrive. The safe haven could be a nearby building or another establishment in the area.
Backup routes also help. Earthquakes can damage the original route of the building in your plan.
Maps come in handy for establishing where to go from different locations in the building. They help people who are in one of the bathrooms, the main office, the kitchen, or the lobby at the front door.
The team should also be aware of how to get to the safe spot(s) from outside of the building.
It also helps to keep your options for safe spots opinion. This helps whether it’s the company next door, a restaurant down the road, or the house of one of the staff members.
Get Insurance
Having the right insurance goes a long way in making sure that you have the money needed to repair your small business’s office or establish a new one.
Different states have different options for coverage, which depends on how severe earthquakes can get there.
You can talk to multiple agents about what coverage is appropriate and what kind of damage your office is likely to experience based on its location.
The more prone your location is to this disaster, the more coverage you should seek.
Assign Roles
Give people on your staff a job in case of an emergency such as a natural disaster. This reduces the risks of everyone panicking and running in the wrong directions that can get them killed.
This is especially helpful if your small business is large enough to have different departments. Having more departments can keep people separated during a disaster.
You should be in charge and provide instructions right away when an earthquake happens. This can help you point people in the right direction so that they stay safe.
A second in command is necessary in case you’re out of the office when one happens.
You need to talk with the other departments about who is in charge and how to direct people in case of an earthquake. This helps everyone look out for each other and escape or avoid destroyed areas.
Stay Connected
Having a way to stay connected during an earthquake helps everyone in your company stay safe. They can find out where to meet people in a safe area and where to find people who are stuck under rubble or in a dangerous area.
You will need to create a way to communicate that takes advantage of today’s technology.
Email systems and group texts are among the easiest ways in case the earthquake damages the computers and other hardware.
Exchanging everyone’s numbers in different departments keeps everyone connected. Everyone will have someone to contact in case they are in an area they are not familiar with.
This also comes in handy if the earthquake causes enough destruction to break sections apart.
If you decide to use email to keep the team connecting, as well, then you can ind different sources that show how email systems can work for small businesses.
Protect Data
Once you have developed a plan that will keep everyone safe, you can focus on the data that keeps your business running.
Copies of information will prevent your company from falling behind by weeks or months.
This information includes past and current projects and contact information for emergency services. You’ll also need to preserve schedules, payment systems, customer records, contracts.
Using computer servers will provide extra protection. Hard drives have an easier time getting destroyed in a disaster.
Having many servers also comes in handy if you want to avoid legal and financial issues. This helps if someone steals information, or if data escapes during an earthquake.
Create a Continuity Plan
A continuity plan in place while keeping your customers happy while your office recovers or moves to another location.
This includes sending out newsletters to customers and suppliers about where to go in case of an earthquake or disaster on a similar level.
The plan should detail where consumers can go to get their products and what technical professionals need to do to recover and protect data.
Our experts know how to coordinate these plans for people who keep your company going. These individuals include customers and suppliers.
Training
Practice makes perfect. That principle is most important in a situation that can endanger people’s lives.
Schedule meetings at least once a week with your staff as soon as your plan is set up. You must go over who has what role and what to do in this situation.
You can have drills that have your staff walk through each step, and be sure to ask if anyone has any questions. This will fill everyone in on what to do.
This is also an opportunity for anyone on your team to notice an issue that wasn’t previously addressed. You may need to make some changes to your plan, but it will ensure better chances of safety for everyone.
It helps to know how other companies in your field or with your building designs prepare for earthquakes. We can provide you with the best way to research what they do so that you know if you need to make any adjustments.
Our Take
Earthquake preparedness plans need a great deal of time, planning and research. You must know where to go, what to do, and how to secure information so that everyone can stay safe and connected.
Yet, these steps will allow your company to keep running for a long time.
Check out tips and tactics for how to be prepared for earthquakes here. We’ll make sure your small business is ready for whatever nature throws at it.