Office of Emergency Management

Small business owners that prepare in advance for disasters have a greater chance of returning to pre-disaster operating levels. If you aren’t sure whether your business is at risk from disasters caused by natural or man made hazards, check with your local building official, city engineer, or planning and zoning administrator. They can tell you whether you are in an area where hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, or tornadoes are likely to occur. Also, they usually can tell you how to protect yourself, your house, business and property from the different hazards.

Here are a few things to remember when creating an emergency plan for your business from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance (SBA):

Carefully assess the risks (e.g., flood, fire, tornado, etc.) for each specific business location, and plan accordingly.
Be sure to have adequate insurance to cover all the specific risks at the business site. SBA recommends that each business have an annual insurance “check-up” to be sure coverage is kept up to date. Most hazard insurance policies do not cover flood losses, and separate flood coverage may be necessary. Be sure both the building and contents are covered. In addition, businesses should obtain business interruption insurance.
Preserving important business records is vital. Be sure to keep current copies of financial data, accounting records, personnel information, marketing strategies, insurance records, inventory information, etc., safely stored at an off-site location. Also, back up computerized records daily, and store the back-ups off-site.
Maintain a list of telephone and fax numbers of employees, customers, vendors, bankers, attorneys, insurance agents, professional recovery services, equipment rentals and appropriate emergency agencies. Keep a copy of this information at an off-site location. Update this list regularly.
Establish a means of contacting employees who may have been displaced from their homes by the disaster. Also, be sure employees have an alternate method of contacting the business if it is forced from its normal location.

For more information on business preparedness and to order free sample emergency plans, business preparedness checklists and more, call 1-800-BE-READY. You may also download disaster preparedness information at www.sba.gov
/services/disasterassistance or www.ready.gov/business.

Official Website of the City of San Antonio Fire
Office of Emergency Management