Which hurricane preparedness category is your business in?

Are you in the 25% or the 75% Business Continuity Disaster Preparedness list?

According to the Institute for Business and Home Safety, one in four businesses that must close due to a hurricane NEVER reopen. That is a terrible hardship not only on the business owner but also on the community in which the business served. If there were employees then the devastation for the business employees’ families will be hard felt as well.

Study after study state that if you have even the most basic of emergency preparedness plans then the chances grow tremendously that your business will not only survive but that you will have both loyal employees AND loyal customers for years to come. Most people think that disaster preparedness is extremely expensive.

The most expensive thing about emergency preparedness

is NOT being disaster prepared.

Emergency preparedness kits don’t have to be fancy or expensive. Much of the emergency preparedness necessities can be found around the house or at the local grocery store and dollar stores can establish low cost emergency survival kits for you and your staff. Going to yard sales and flea markets can drastically reduce the cost of emergency preparedness kits.

Have a contest within the business to see who can create the least expensive, best use of resources low cost emergency preparedness kit for the office and home. Then give a gift certificate for lunch at a nearby sandwich shop as a prize.

Write up a press release and send it to the local news paper describing the company’s emergency preparedness kit contest and describing all the winners (everyone who has a disaster kit is a winner when an emergency situation occurs!). Make sure that all have the emergency preparedness necessities. Have a picture taken that can be submitted to the newspaper with all your staff displaying their disaster kits.

Many of the staff will enjoy getting their picture taken and will have extra pride in showing off their accomplishment of their emergency preparedness kits. Post the pictures in both the lobby of your business for your customers to see. This will encourage and inspire customers to develop their own disaster kits.

Also have a copy of the pictures in the employee lounge etc. Celebrate all employees that take disaster preparedness seriously. Remember the more your employees are disaster prepared not only at work but at home, school and play, the more likely these well trained employees will be able to quickly return to work at your business and help ensure business continuity and reduce new employee costs!

You can even send out a fact sheet in with your billing statements telling of the employee accomplishments and how reasonable they aware able to develop their own low cost emergency survival kits. Each month send out another employee’s account of what they stocked their emergency preparedness kits with and how they reduced the costs. Then just before hurricane season say in March – April - May have a customer hurricane preparedness contest and then put it on your website.

Host a reception with light refreshments and invite the local emergency service community to come and share their information with all the customers who have developed their own emergency preparedness checklists, disaster plans etc. Pass out disaster preparedness information to the local community. Often with amble notice the emergency response agencies and organizations will arrange to bring some of their supplies and equipment. Many in the community will enjoy seeing the emergency equipment (especially kids and the ‘kids –at-heart).

By having the reception and emergency preparedness awareness program, many in your community will be better educated on emergency preparedness as well as you and your company’s efforts. Good will is the best gift the business owner can give. Over time with effort on your part and sincere dedication to making your community safer, you and your company will be well identified as an emergency preparedness community expert and disaster preparedness information resource. Being such a leader in the community is a great honor, responsibility and opportunity.

Tell the local community upfront that should there ever be a disaster YOU and YOUR COMPANY are dedicated to recovering quickly and helping the local community in times of need. The goodwill this will establish for your company will be enormous.

Oh don’t forget to invite the media. Remember to not only include the local media but be bold and invite all the national news networks as well. Also get a news release sent out on PR Wire (www.prwire.com). This can be a great way to help promote your company’s efforts for emergency preparedness of the local community and businesses as well. You also might want to contact the Small Business Development center in your area to see if they would be interested in helping to promote your efforts.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Chamber's officials urge local businesses to set disaster plans
http://www.rockportpilot.com/articles/2008/06/18/business/business00.txt

One out of every four businesses which close because of a disaster never reopen, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), but with a disaster protection and recovery plan in place, business owners stand a much better chance of having business continuity.

The Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a contest to encourage area business owners to be prepared during the current hurricane season. The first business to turn in its completed “Open for Business Tool Kit” will receive a prize at the Chamber board of directors' Tuesday, July 15 meeting.

The deadline to turn in a completed plan is Monday, July 7.

One can download a copy of the 76-page Open for Business Tool Kit at www.disastersafety.org or call 1-866-657-4247 to request your free copy.

The tool kit provides the framework to help prioritize critical business functions and organize information needed to continue operating from a remote location.

According to IBHS documentation, contingency planning is a core part of running any successful business. Failing to plan is placing an unnecessary bet on the survival of your business.

Disasters don't have to be caused by catastrophic events. Widespread power outages, water main breaks, and fires also can effectively shut down a company for a long period, sometimes months, costing thousands of dollars in lost business. Some or all of that business may never return.

That is why business owners are encouraged to resolve to be better prepared for the 2008 hurricane season by putting together a disaster plan.

The top five business continuity planning steps are:

€ Make two copies of important documents and store them in separate locations. These should include lease papers, photographs of property and lists of inventory.

€ Update contact information for employees, key suppliers and customers, and local utility companies.

€ Consider an alternate location from which to do business if a disaster were to force you to relocate.

€ Review plans with employees and make sure they know how to reach their immediate supervisor in an emergency.

€ Assess current insurance needs with your agent and update their contact information, including emergency hotlines.

IBHS, a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry, works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.

Hurricane preparedness, floods and three little pigs

When pigs are on the roof, it is time for disaster preparedness!

A neighbor of mine, a long time go had a favorite saying: “yea when pigs fly!” He would say this as his absolute and definitive cynical statement of disbelief on any given topic. Today on the news, we actually see 3 fat pigs barely able to stand on a slippery barn roof eating what ever has floated down the riptide waters that is licking at their hooves in the farmlands of America. Who would have thought such a situation would ever occur.

Most people in the mid-west were told that they were miles away for the river and there was no need to worry about flood protection insurance. They were reassured many times by so called experts that catastrophic flooding from swollen rivers cresting over their banks would never happen to them in the pristine farmlands in the good old US of A. I guess it was as unlikely in the eyes of many as it was as pigs flying or pigs grazing on a metal roof of a barn.

Unfortunately, 3 pigs are on a barn roof and we need to reconsider our disaster preparedness information. We need to re-examine what we have been told from disaster organizations, insurance companies and the local, state and national government emergency service agencies. Often we have been told simplistic disaster preparedness information in 30-60 second sound bits Pubic Service Announcements on TV and radio as well as quick how to brochures that are flimsy and filled with generalized disaster information as if it was being issued from God’s own mouth.

We are living in a very different time that what was the scene even 15 years ago. We always thought that the government would provide all the emergency preparedness necessities any one or any community could ever want. People thought it was crazy to think that they should have emergency preparedness kits for car, home, work and school. Many a PTA had hotly, passionate discussions of how come families were asked to supply students with a school emergency preparedness kits. The mantra was we don't want o frighten the children. The reality / was is we didn't want to feel our own fright. Denial is a wonderful opiate to reality and common sense.

Yet now we see the wisdom of having an emergency preparedness checklist attached to a well thought out emergency preparedness plan. Even after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita not to mention the Alamos wildfires we still hear the sentiment that we don’t want to alarm anyone unnecessarily about disasters that may or my not occur. Yea I agree we don’t need to be Chicken Little, but then again, go ask the farmer with the 3 pigs on the roof if he or his neighbors are alarmed now at what has happened. I’ve got a good idea what the answer might be

If you have not started your own disaster kits and a long term emergency supply of food and other emergency preparedness necessities such as medications, water, cleaning supplies, then you need to start yesterday. Food costs and all other supplies will be rising as fast as the waters have over the corn fields of the mid-west. Inflation is already rising more swiftly than what was ever considered most likely to occur likely. Disaster kits and emergency pantries will cost much more today, tomorrow and next week unfortunately than they did even a year ago or even last month. They will cost more next month.

The terrible thought is we are not even at the summer point of when things start to really pick up with wildfires and hurricanes. We have had more devastating tornadoes than many can easily remember in the recent past. Wildfires are already happening in Florida and California made worse in multi-year drought conditions. People in Florida tell me that they really want the rain but fear that such rain will cause lightening and result in dangerous uncontrolled wildfires. The list goes on and on.

The best place to start with hurricane preparedness is to get sound disaster preparedness information. This is not the sort of information that says: place tinfoil over windows and wear metal cone caps on your head to keep others from reading and hearing your thoughts!

The thought of of a disaster can seem very crazy, especially when they have not happened and may never happen. Yet it is much more crazy and dangerous not to be disaster prepared. We are not talking outlandish stuff or downright insane stuff. We are talking about practical, basic emergency preparedness necessities.

Instead of mental cone caps, put on your thinking cap and get well researched and thought out disaster preparedness information. Get materials that are comprehensive and not a 2 page brochure that leaves you out on a limb trying to figure out for yourself what all is really needed and how much. Disaster preparedness takes more time and thought than going out and buying a couple cans of tuna fish and a can of squirt soft cheese spread with crackers.

After getting solid disaster information, then start to develop a sound emergency preparedness checklist for each member of your household including the pets that addresses as many of the possibilities of a potential disaster as possible. Then become creative in developing low cost emergency survival kits for EACH member of the household.

Think about it, many will spend more time making summer barbecue plans including how many bags of Kingsford Charcoal BBQ briquets it will take to grill hamburgers for 25 of your closest friends than they will in how to evacuate safely from a disaster situation.

Now I love a juicy hamburger off the grill just as much as anyone else but I sure would feel better if all my guests had their disaster preparedness plans, emergency evacuation routes mapped out and emergency preparedness necessities all complete and stored safely in well labeled water-proof boxes that are easy to get to at a moment’s notice. Part of me wants to say, hey don’t come for the burger unless you have your emergency preparedness plans fully complete. Stay home and get your house in order before you come to my house for dinner.

Can all of us respond positively to these emergency preparedness tips? Sure we can.

Will all the citizens and guests of this great country take this advice? I fear they won’t. I sure wish they would.

Then again my old neighbor would most likely reply by saying “Yea when pigs fly!”

Unfortunately, even with pigs on the barn roof it will not be enough for this country to have an emergency wake up call!!!

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Part of vacation planning includes Emergency preparedness plans!

Hurricane preparedness doesn’t stop jut because you are on vacation.

Just got finished reading Robert’s Caribbean Travel Blog ( see below). Yes there are great deals on travel and fantastic vacations to experience during Hurricane season. If you are going to enjoy a vacation in the Caribbean or even in the US hurricane zones like shore vacations along the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico then be hurricane prepared.

Make sure you have set aside some of your pre-vacation time to get disaster preparedness information on where evacuation shelters are, alternative routes for evacuation planning, what are the guidelines the airlines have for emergency flight changes to get out of a Caribbean dream destination before a hurricane nightmare.

Pack low cost emergency survival kits one for each member of the family with a flashlight, some shelf safe food, bottled water and extra medication. Bring alone a portable radio with fresh batteries.. Get a hurricane reference guide for the local area you are going to be vacationing at. Review emergency preparedness tips as well. Oh yes by all means make sure you have an emergency preparedness checklist to you can quickly see what you have and what is necessary to do if a hurricane is making its way to your vacation spot.

Remember to be flexible during a hurricane zone vacation. IF a hurricane is even a mild possibility then change your plans. Go somewhere else. Don’t risk getting stranded in a dream location in an evacuation. That is not the best kind of vacation in fact it can be the worst of vacations.

If you are going to go to a hurricane prone location then spend the extra money to get travel insurance. There is also vacation insurance that will offset the costs of an emergency evacuation. Yes it might cost a bit more (and insurance premiums will often be higher) to have the insurance but well worth it if a hurricane is joining you on vacation.

Enjoy your vacation but also keep a close ear on the news and weather forecasts so you can be some of the first out of a potential hurricane storm.

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Dr. Terrie Modesto, PhD, author of Train For A Hurricane is an international expert in dying, death, loss and critical incident individual and community disaster preparation and response with 20+ year’s experience. She has over 60 courses, books and training manuals to her credit and is available for consulting, lectures and interviews. Website: www.trainforahurricane.com Blog: http://hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com/

Robert's Caribbean Travel Blog

By Robert Curley, About.com Guide to Caribbean Travel

http://gocaribbean.about.com/b/2008/06/16/hurricane-shmuricane-poll-finds-many-travelers-unconcerned-about-storm-threat.htm

Hurricane, Shmuricane: Poll Finds Many Travelers Unconcerned About Storm Threat

Monday June 16, 2008

A recent survey of TripAdvisor members finds that 30 percent of travelers -- and 36 percent of U.S. travelers -- say they plan to visit a destination in the hurricane zone this summer even though it is hurricane season. Moreover, 43 percent of those traveling to hurricane-prone areas like Florida and the Caribbean say they are not concerned about a storm interrupting their trip, and 15 percent said they are taking advantage of low, hurricane-season prices on hotels, airfares, etc.

The survey found that while the Caribbean is the "most feared" hurricane-season destination, 64 percent of travelers said they would be willing to visit a destination in the hurricane zone if it meant significant savings: 26 percent said it would take a half-off deal to lure them, while about a quarter of travelers would take the risk for a 41-50 percent discount (only 17 percent of those surveyed said they wouldn't travel to a hurricane area for any price). Lucky for travelers, those are exactly the kind of discounts you can find in the Caribbean for summer stays.

If that's not enough evidence that travelers are hardier souls than they usually get credit for, the poll also found that fewer than half say they would immediately cancel their vacation plans if a hurricane was due to hit their destination, and 10 percent said they would ride out the storm. Only about one in five travelers say that predictions of an active hurricane season would alter their travel plans.

"Travelers consistently appear to have a healthy respect for hurricanes, but generally won't let weather get in the way of their vacation plans," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for Trip Advisor.

Hurricane preparedness includes the gas tank

Avoid hurricane gas panic!

There are three things that everyone who has to live through a pending hurricane knows will occur when it comes to a hurricane and they are:

§ Severe winds,

§ Deluge of rain and

§ Long lines at the gas station

Lines can crawl ever so slowly for several blocks long when a hurricane is pending. The closer the hurricane is to shore the longer the lines. Many customers will spend hours lined up to get gas when they could be on the road getting as far away as possible from a hurricane storm or doing some other kind of hurricane preparation at home or at their business.

With gas prices going sky high and there is no threat to a hurricane, you can be pretty sure that the price of gasoline will go up even more when a hurricane is approaching. Supply, demand and fear govern much of the factors that determine the price of a gallon of gas especially when facing a hurricane.

If a hurricane has caused disaster damage from moderate to severe the price of gasoline will spike even more in such situations and the lines will grow much longer as recovery days lengthen. Even for those who do not live in the path of a hurricane will have an increase at the pumps.

Should a hurricane be suggested as a possibility the following suggestions should be followed as part of your emergency preparedness plans. Here are some emergency preparedness tips to help deal with the issues of fuel supply:

1. Fill up early all your cars, trucks, vans and RVs as soon as possible when learning of a possible hurricane. This will ensure less wait at the gas station and possible none at all if you fill up early enough. Generally people in line will run their air conditioning and the idling will burn up some of the gasoline that is already in the tank costing the customer even more money.

2. Don’t wait to fill up. If you postpone buying you gasoline to see if the hurricane is predicted to come your way then you will face a very long line. When it is apparent that the hurricane is headed your way even a Category 1 the lines will be significantly longer and customer tempers shorter.

3. Fill up as much as possible. Even with the high prices of fuel, it is wise to fill up all vehicles in case there is need for evacuation. If you plan to ride out the storm and have a gasoline generator, the additional car is a safe and large supply resource for storing gasoline to use in your generator should electricity be out for a period of time.

4. Buy extra supply of gasoline for each vehicle. Have at least 1-2 extra 5-gallon transportation and storage approved gasoline containers for each vehicle. DO NOT use any type of container that is not specifically approved for fuel storage. Never use gas containers that are damaged, rusted or that do not have all parts included. These parts include the hose, tight sealing cap and small vent cap. If these items are not available then don’t use it. It is way to hazardous to transport fuel in non-secured and appropriate storage containers. If you have a question, ask your local gas station owner, auto supply store manager or police or fire officer. All will be well informed as to how appropriate your container is.

5. Buy as good a grade fuel container as you can obtain. The thicker the plastic and better constructed components the easier and safer it will be to handle it. With the price of gasoline you don’t want to spill even a single drop and see it on the ground wasted and not available to keep you moving out of harm’s way!

6. Keep gas tanks and containers away from home. Gasoline is a very toxic fume generating substance. If at all possible keep all fuel containers including your gasoline containers in an independent outdoor shed for best and safest storage. If that is not a possibility for you then keep it as far from the entrance to your home as possible. A gas can near a door is very dangerous especially if you need to get out of your home by that door in an emergency! If you have to store your gasoline in your garage then keep it as close as possible to the garage door as possible.

7. Clearly identify type of fuel in the container. Make sure you mark the container clearly that it is gasoline. Even though it is brightly colored (most likely red or green or blue) you need to be sure that you are using the right kind of fuel for the car, generator etc. By marking it as gasoline, diesel or kerosene you will have no doubt as to what type of fuel it is.

8. Keep fuel away form children. Fuel is a very dangerous product. It can cause fatal poisoning if consumed and is a fire accelerate. You don’t need an additional emergency of a child or pet sick or dead from drinking the fuel.

9. Gasoline and other fuels don’t mix with electricity! When filling up your fuel containers, make sure the container is on the ground. It is vital that the containers be well grounded to avoid static electrify. I realize that it is heavy to lift a full fuel container but the effort is well worth it. A vehicle fire is not something you need to deal with when facing down a hurricane. Never fill a gas container fro the bed of a pick-up truck. It could be much more costly than the few added seconds to pump it while on the ground and lifting it up! Stay safe!

10. Transport gasoline and other fuels safely. That means that you secure the containers so they do not slide around in the trunk of the car or back of the pick-up truck while transporting. Never keep the fuel containers in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. If you are short on space get r id of something and make room for the fuel container away form people and pets. A passenger vehicle compartment fire is one of the deadliest types of vehicle fires.

11. Keep fuel and generators out of the home! Both generators and the fuel they use can cause toxic fumes that are poisonous. These fumes can result in death with little warning. Be sure that the area that you are using your generator in is well ventilated. NEVER use a generator indoors or in an enclosed area like a patio or deck.

12. Keep gas containers away form ignition sources. These ignition sources can include cigarettes, pipes and electrical equipment.

13. Smoking is a No-No! Do not smoke when handling any type of fuel product. Gasoline a other fuel products are highly flammable.

Think seriously about keeping this fuel disaster preparedness information with your emergency preparedness check list. Extra fuel is one item that needs to be addressed early when considering your emergency preparedness necessities. It is also advisable to have a hurricane reference guide to help you learn the most effective and prudent ways to get prepared, get through hand get over a hurricane emergency. Check out my book Train For a Hurricane for more disaster preparedness information at www.trainforahurricane.com

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Is YOUR business 6 minutes away form a natural disaster?

Hurricane Preparedness is not just for home.

I realize that hurricane preparedness and the small business is not the most flashy of topics to talk about BUT it is vital to small businesses realize that a natural disaster hits a business every 6 minutes and we are not talking about a broken coffee pot on Monday morning or the photo copier jamming at 3:30 pm just before the weekly reports are due at 4:00pm!

By significant disasters, I’m talking about:

o Personal business disasters such as a water pipe that breaks late Friday night when no one is around and it’s not found until Monday morning after flooding the entire building

o Community or regional disaster like a Category 4 hurricane thundering down on your community at full force.

These are the times when business operations stops and a significant disruption to not only involving customer services require a massive overhaul or rebuilding of the infrastructure of the company is required. These events are very costly and time intensive. Many small businesses do not have the fudge factor to absorb such business challenges when not at least initially planed for.

For many small businesses, a disaster is often much more stressful than that of a large Fortune 500 company simply because there are less people to help with the re-establishment of the company and financial resources of a small operation are slim to begin with.

Did you know that small businesses that are prepared for a disaster generally:

§ Are back in operation within 3 weeks

§ Have a 37% average annual growth rate after a disaster

§ Sustain a 76% employee retention rate for first three years after disaster

§ Enjoy upwards of a 28% increase in new customers

§ Benefit from long term customer loyalty. Many studies show that customers stay extremely loyal to companies that quickly recover during the disaster. Loyalty often extend for year seven decades after a disaster.

§ Identified with high esteem in the larger community as a leader who was ready and able to serve in the face of a disaster!

Unfortunately the opposite is true for the small business owners that are NOT prepared for a disaster. They have:

§ Increase of 71% greater chance of being out of business in less than 24 months after a disaster hits.

§ Lower employee retention rate of approximately 19% the first year back in operation

§ Require increased costs to train new staff by at least 14% than previous cost for initial employee training before a natural disaster.

§ Take upwards of 8 months to re-open and generate a cash flow.

§ Many small businesses most never reopen for business.

Is your Small Business disaster prepared?

The first thing a small business owner should do is go buy a local daily newspaper. After you buy the newspaper, immediately today if not sooner go and get a digital camera and take a picture of EVERYTHING in your building from:

o office furniture

o coffee pot & microwave

o file cabinets

o computers

o telephones

o special equipment your company uses

o walls

o ceilings

o light fixtures

o signs

o doors

o bathrooms

o storage rooms

o landscaping

o trees & plants outside

o vehicles

o parking lot pavement

o fencing

o roof

o basement

o external buildings

Every time you take a picture make sure the newspaper is in the picture in a less pronounced place but still visible. Guess you are wonder why the newspaper is in every picture? That is a reliable and inexpensive way to demonstrate and validate the date of the picture. This will offer further proof to the insurance company that indeed the picture was taken on or after that date.

After the camera shoot is completed don’t just print the pictures out and put them in a file and forget about it. Open up a free email account with Google mail, Hot Mail, Yahoo or some other free mail service and send a copy of EACH of the picture with a detailed description in the email with a subject title that clearly and quickly describes that particular picture. The reason to send the pictures to an independent email source is that you will be able to access those pictures even if in a natural disaster your office is blown away and all business documents are lost. At least you have a verifiable resource to SHOW your office supplies and equipment. The sate stamp that is on the emails is additional verification of time the property was current.

While taking pictures, take a picture or two of each of our staff so that you can have a photo resource if there was ever a need to do a picture posting of a missing person in a disaster. Many learned the challenges of not having pictures of employees quickly accessible in an emotional hurry when 9-11 terrorist attack occurred. When all the office files are lost in a disaster, it hard to know how to contact loved ones to secure necessary information about a staff member’s well being and location.

You might want to send a copy of the name and description of each staff member along with emergency contact information of a person out of the local area so that it will be easier to gain knowledge of how that person is after a major disaster.

NOTE: NEVER SUPPLY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS OR OTHER CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION especially in an unsecured site - ALWAYS GET THE EMPLOYEE’S PERMISSON to place that information in an email account.

After the photos are taken, it is important to then start to develop your disaster emergency preparedness plans so that you will know what is most important including:

§ What each staff member is to take from the office in an emergency evacuation

§ Where you and your staff will meet up and regroup if separated in a disaster evacuation

§ How you will stay in communication during and immediately after a disaster event occurs.

§ Who are the members of the contingency chain of command should the owner / leader not be available.

For about $125 each computer used in the business, there should be a easy to access and remove external computer backup resource. This external back up resource needs to be convenient so that each person would be able to grab that back up and have all their computer data and information with them when they evacuate the area and building. Having a 500 GB backup hard drive is extremely well worth every penny it cost especially when the office computers are lost, stolen, damaged or are not able to be accessed for several days or weeks if ever again.

Remember the faster you can reestablish your company after a disaster the better the chance of you being able to provide services to your customers, gain new customers and get back on your feet. The more you plan now with emergency preparedness checklists and emergency preparedness necessities including a 3-day personal emergency preparedness kit for each employee the better off you and your staff will be. The more you prepare to protect your staff and business BEFORE a disaster the more likely you will be able to be operational in the shortest amount of time possible with appreciative staff and happy customers

.COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Emergency Disaster Preparedness Plans Necessary For Farmers

Important to have a disaster plan etc for livestock – could be very costly otherwise

I was totally shocked when I sat in the comfort of my family room and watched helplessly as a HUGE F-4 tornado came barreling towards and then right through a pig farm the other week. The huge violent tornado tunnel devastated the farming operations of a long time family farmer.

Even with most of the farm torn to bits there were still at some of the pigs that were alive and in their stalls. Besides all the other issues after a tornado, the farmer had to ensure thee well bing and care of the pigs.Emergency housing for the pigs and necessary water and feed for them needed to be arranged for as well. I hope the farm was well prepared for such a disaster, but from the sound of things in the post tornado event interview with the farmer, it doesn't sound like it.

When interviewed the farmer said he and his family had been farming in that area for 3 or generations and they knew that they were in a tornado belt but never thought that it could happen to them. It did. It hit BIG time. There was little left of the farm from the barns that housed hundreds of pigs to the silos not to mention the farm house not too far away. Broken farm equipment looked like it had been the result of a child’s temper tantrum. Equipment, trucks, cars, tractors and wagons all tumbled about and many upside down. My initial guess is a total loss on many of the vehicles.

It is important for farmers to have a comprehensive copy of all records of their animals, including medical and insurance records as well as a complete inventory of their equipment and buildings. No one ever knows what could develop as a result of a disaster in the matter of moments.

Many farmers feel that since they may not be directly on the coastal shore that they are relatively safe from hurricanes. It is important to remember that there are many tornadoes that are created as a result of a hurricane hundreds of miles from the eye of the hurricane.

All livestock need to be well marked. To safeguard your livestock you should have at least 3 emergency contingency plans need to be developed in writing and available to all farm staff long before a disaster hits or the hurricane season starts. Rehearse each plan at least once per year to ensure all are clear on what is to be done and when. This rehearsal will also help to see where things have changed over the past year, where the problem areas are in the emergency plan so they can be fixed.

Just like pets, livestock need to have their emergency preparedness checklist and emergency preparedness necessities as well. At least a 10-14 day of extra feed needs to be on hand preferably not in the same location as the regular feed since if one resource of food is destroyed then the other feed facility may have been spared if the distance is significant.

Also plan for how to get water should electrical power be out and the water pumps are not operating. EVERY farm and household should have at least one generator. If most of your equipment is powered by diesel fuel then get a diesel generator. If the majority of the equipment operates on gasoline then get a gasoline powered generator. The reason for that is that in a dire emergency you can siphon off the fuel from the not used equipment to run the generation longer until help can arrive.

Remember if the disaster is significant and over a large area such as is often the case in hurricane situations, then it may be upwards of 2 weeks before help may arrive. That is a long time for animals to be without the emergency preparedness necessities to get them though the aftermath of a disaster especially after being traumatized by a disaster.

In certain circumstances, it will be necessary to transport your livestock quickly out of danger. This is often the case when there is flooding. Have your emergency plans ready a head of time, all transport equipment in good repair and know of at least 2 main evacuation routes and one alternative evacuation route.

Make sure your farm and your livestock are registered with the emergency management service department in your community so they can help you in th event of a disaster. Those who are registereed will often be some of the first ones to be offered assistance

COMMENTS WELCOMED!

Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com

Helping kids prepare a disaster kit.

Hurricane disaster kits can be fun, educational and a life long safety skill!

Just wrote this on27 Ruede Fleurus blog and thought it was something that should be posted here as well.

When it is your turn to host the neighborhood kids this summer or as a Father’s Day activity /gift, invite the children to start their own low cost emergency survival kit. See if the parents or local social organizations like the Lion’s Club, Rotary or PTA would help with the expenses and get supplies together so the kids can prepare a disaster kit of their own or at least the start of one. This is a great learning event about hurricane preparation safety and will be a way to occupy part of the time with a fun and helpful service to our children and to their families

They could start to fill out a disaster info sheet and have some coloring book pages included as well as color pencils (not crayons since they can melt easily depending on where they are store). Also ask for a picture of their family with the family names and emergency contact phone number at home as well as a cell phone and address on the back.

To help encourage the children’s parents / guardians to prepare for a disaster, have the kids start to make an emergency preparedness kits for the parents as well. Get copies of my free emergency preparedness checklist (http://hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com/) to include in the kit as a way to help them start their own family / household emergency preparedness kits.

Grab your digital camera also and take a picture of the child up close as well as while they are preparing the disaster kits. This is a good keepsake as well as a very current picture of the child up close and in a social setting that could be available to post should the child ever get separated from the parents in a disaster situation.

During the Hurricane Katrina disaster this sort of separation happened often. Many families did not have a current picture of their missing child available with them and this would have been very helpful. Besides kids love to have their pictures taken and a modest size color photo on even regular printer copy paper is not too expensive.

In the kids disaster kits, maybe include a package of crackers and hard candy single wrapped. A tooth brush and tooth paste, comb and an individually wrapped moist towel for clean-up. Include in the disaster kit a small inexpensive age appropriate toy as well since they can get lost in a disaster sitution. These can be purchased cheaply at the dollar stores. Some of these items may even be donated by the business owner if it is explained what they are for.

Construct each emergency kit in a water safe plastic bag with a zipper lock to prevent the contents of the kits from getting lost or damaged. Teaching our children the importance of emergency preparedness is a import gift we can give them and a life time skill that could possibly save lives in the future!

Dr. Terrie Modesto

Dr. Terrie Modesto, PhD, author of Train For A Hurricane is an international expert in dying, death, loss and critical incident individual and community disaster preparation and response with 20+ year’s experience. She has over 60 courses, books and training manuals to her credit and is available for consulting, lectures and interviews. Blog: http://hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com/

3 hurricane names retired BUT hurricane preparation never does!

Hurricane Preparation always a must!

 After last year hurricane devastation with Hurricane Dean, Hurricane Felix and Hurricane Noel were the costliest in 2007 and were the largest and most powerful hurricanes to hit land with Category 4-5 force winds. The World Meteorological Organisation Association committee retired those names forever.  This retirement of the hurricane names only occurs when the hurricane was so significant and costly to either human life or personal property. 

 Well it’s a nice gesture to know that such hurricane names are forever off the books. Something that is always going to be ON the books is hurricane preparedness.

 June 1^st marked the beginning of hurricane season and it should also be your date to go and review your emergency preparedness checklist.  In the course of a year many things change in our lives.  Our supply of medications both prescription and over the counter medical supplies can change drastically. Often medications that we purchased a year ago may be nearing their expiration dates.  Use that supply up and rote new most current supplies for the next hurricane and disaster year.

 Batteries are other emergency preparedness necessities and they can grow weak and even useless in a year depending on where you store them.  Check and see how much strength I s left in them as well as stock on batteries when they are on sale so you will have all that you need during a disaster event.

 The same goes for food as well.  Often can food will last longer than a year still it is important to review and see when the expiration date is and refresh your supply at least yearly.  With cost of food increasing significantly, it is wise to get a fresh supply and then use the former supply on a regular and normal meal preparation schedule.

 You need to go through your emergency preparedness kit and check you emergency phone card to see if it is nearing expiration date.  If it is then use it up so you don’t waste the minutes and then get another card to restock your supply. 

 I know that it may sound a bit crazy to talk about having phone cards when everyone ahs their own personal cell phones.  Depending on the location you happen to be at when a hurricane disaster occurs you may not have electricity to recharge your cell phone.  Even if there is electricity and electrical outlets available if you are staying at an evacuation shelter there my be a long line to use the electric plugs and that is a iffy possibility at that. Besides it is one more thing that will help you stay in communication with loved ones at a pay phone when disaster occurs. It is good to keep several rolls of change in your disaster kit as well.  Hard currency never goes out of style!

 Besides checking your own personal emergency preparedness kit, also check each member of the family’s kit as well as that of each of your pets. Make sure they all have the emergency preparedness necessities including copies of their rabies vaccinations etc as food, water and any medications that they may need. If at all possible keep say a 4-6 day supply of newspaper if you have a dog so if there may be a need to have a ‘paper potty’ location of the family mutt you will have a good supply.  Puppy pads are very expensive so it is a good idea to have a less expensive option.

 In reviewing your personal emergency preparedness plans it is also a very wise idea even with the cost of gasoline now days to go and do a dry run through your 2-3 emergency evacuation routes. Make sure you have 2 that are main routes as well as at least one that includes the back routes since often the main highways etc are jammed with others evacuating s well.

 By having an alternative evacuation route(s) you may be traveling more miles but you may be using less gasoline and spending less time on the road before getting out of harms way by going a back way.  Thinking outside the box can help you save time, energy and perhaps your life should the roads be excessively congested.

 Make sure you have emergency evacuation directions clearly written down and in a watertight plastic bag and is is  in an easy location to refer to should it would be come necessary.  Keep a copy all times in your glove box of your car. By all means don’t think you will be able to rely on your memory for directions.  Often in a stress filled situation things we know by heart such as important telephone numbers etc will for a short term escape instant recall. This goes for directions as well. By having everything written down it will help greatly to get you to the identified evacuation location with less strain or costly mistakes.

 Last but not least I know with gasoline prices going through the roof it is difficult to even get the necessary gasoline for the vehicles.  But it is a very good idea to have at lest an extra 5 gallon jug of gasoline stored safely that you can take with you to help get you out of danger’s way.  Also during the hurricane season it is a good idea to keep your tank at least ¾ full at all time. With gas prices going up it will also be a way to keep the annual gas costs down a bit.

 COMMENTS WELCOMED!

 Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.

 All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.

 Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!

 Terrie

 

www.trainforahurricane.com

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