Businesses should consider several elements in preparing for a disaster. Not only is it important to protect the staff, building, data, and inventory of a company, it is also critical to prepare a plan to continue operations following the disaster. A good plan may include provisions to relocate to a pre-identified site, retrieve data, including employee, customer and vendor records; and a way to operate efficiently with a smaller staff of key individuals.
Below please find a disaster preparedness plan template and emergency procedures template to help your business develop an in-depth preparedness plan. Use the guide to help formulate your plan.
- Small Business Disaster Preparedness Guide
- Disaster Preparedness Plan Template
- Emergency Procedures Template
Additional Resources
Need additional help? Consider leveraging the following resources below and know that we’re here to help.
- Get A Plan – Get a Plan assists businesses in developing a family and/or business plan utilizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s online templates.
- Ready.gov/Business – Ready Business assists businesses in developing a preparedness program by providing tools to create a plan that addresses the impact of many hazards.
- Disaster Assistance App – As part of its service offering, the Florida SBDC offers Bizaster, a free mobile disaster assistance app. Bizaster, available in both English and Spanish for Android and iOS, features risk assessments, customizable checklists, and other resources to help businesses prepare, respond, and recover from natural and man-made disasters. Bizaster can be downloaded from the App Store | Google Play.
How we can help:
As part of our service offering, our disaster specialists can help you develop a comprehensive business continuity and emergency preparedness plan tailored to your business at no cost. To find the Florida SBDC office nearest you, visit www.FloridaSBDC.org/locations.
Prepare a business-ready “Records-To-Go” box:
After a disaster occurs, you may need disaster assistance to help your business rebuild, recover, and reopen. Every business should have a fire- and waterproof Business-Ready “Records-To-Go” box that includes essential information and documents necessary for business to continue and/or when applying for state and federal assistance after a disaster.
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Records needed to continue business:
- Business Continuity, Emergency Preparedness, and Disaster Recovery Plan
- Emergency contact list of employees and key customers
- Insurance policies and agent information
- List of suppliers and vendors
- Customer records
- Back-up computer systems and data files
- Bank records
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When applying for state and federal business disaster loans, customary information needed includes:
- the business’ physical address
- tax identification numbers
- legal structure or incorporation papers
- name, social security number, contact information and percentage of ownership for each owner; and
- list of business key creditors and vendors
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Customary documentation needed when applying for state and federal business disaster loans includes:
- business tax returns
- personal tax returns for each owner
- employee verification documentation (e.g. IRS Form 941, W-3s, W-2s)
- schedule of liabilities and debts of the business; and
- current and year-to-date financial statement (profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statements)
For more helpful tips on how businesses can protect their assets, support their employees, and safeguard critical business processes, download and review our Dare to Prepare Flyer.
