MADISON, Wis. — Flooding and tornadoes this year impacted hundreds of Wisconsin businesses. Many were forced to close as a result of these disasters while others kept the doors open and scrambled to deal with the watery mess left behind.
“Up to 40 percent of businesses affected by a natural or human-caused disaster never reopen,” said Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, Wisconsin’s adjutant general and Homeland Security advisor. “Not only does that affect business owners, it also changes the lives of employees and impacts the economic health of that community.”
Gov. Scott Walker declared September as Preparedness Month to encourage businesses across the state to take time now to prepare before disaster strikes.
What you can do now to help later:
- Develop a preparedness policy that is consistent with the mission and vision of your business including ways to protect the safety of employees, visitors, and contractors, maintaining customer service by minimizing interruptions, and protecting the organization’s brand.
- Designate a preparedness program coordinator who can lead a committee to develop, implement, and evaluate the program.
- Conduct tests to evaluate the effectiveness of your preparedness program to make sure employees know what to do and find any missing gaps in the plan.
- For more help, you can use the Business Continuity Planning Suite developed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Find it here: https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-planning-suite
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