Five Ways to Improve Business Survival Chances after a Hurricane


Written by Doug Henderson on July 29, 2010 in Business Continuity, disaster preparedness.

For many businesses located in tropical and subtropical climates, Hurricanes present the worst-case disaster scenario. In addition to disabling or destroying business assets, as a community-wide disaster, hurricanes can disable employee homes, disrupt transportation, power and communication infrastructure.

Here are five controls that are particularly effective in mitigating hurricane business damages and downtime:

  1. Protect the Business Building. For most businesses the protection of the business building is largely determined at the time of the building selection. Features such as nice waterfront views add ambiance but may decrease the chances of your place of business surviving a hurricane. In addition to facility location, consider the controls that should be in place. Look for buildings with storm shutters or hurricane ‘proof’ glass. Consider the condition of the roof and the ability of roof equipment to withstand high winds. Watch out for structural weaknesses such as large overhangs, large flat outer walls / gables or wood frame construction.
  2. Protect Business Assets. Be prepared to cover or encase and secure building contents with sheets of plastic or large plastic garbage pail bags. You should have at least 48 or 72 hours notice of a hurricane strike but do not wait until the last minute to secure supplies – there will likely be a ‘run’ on hurricane supplies at the 48 hour point. Also move your business assets off the floor (note that wind-driven rain can create some ‘flooding’ at upper level floors). Consider moving business assets to a higher level or even to another building located at a higher elevation.
  3. Prepare for a loss of Communication and Power. Normal communication infrastructure will be disabled or destroyed after a hurricane, so be sure to have some communication alternatives in place for employees, customers, clients, plus key suppliers and subcontractors. At a minimum, have cellular telephone numbers, landline telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Businesses that need to communicate with distant locations should secure a couple of satellite phones. Also have a voicemail system in place that is supported by a vendor with communication equipment at an alternate location to ensure post-disaster availability. At a minimum, consider electrical power needed for communication devices. The business should have extra batteries and charging devices that can be plugged into in a 12-volt automotive electrical system. Also identify employees who have backup electric generators for their homes. Ideally consider electric generator backup for the entire office / business facility.
  4. Have Alternate Sites Available. After a hurricane strikes, there is a fairly good chance that your normal place of business will be disabled or possibly destroyed. To make matters worst, other potential buildings in the immediate area where your business might be able to relocate are likely in the same physical predicament. Consider what business operations can be conducted outside of the immediate area at least on a temporary basis. Some businesses will have considerable latitude in this area but other businesses may have more limited relocation options. Businesses that have limited temporary relocation options may have to consider permanent relocation if building damage is severe. In this worst case scenario, it will be necessary to have sufficient insurance for your business to survive. For small businesses, mutual aid agreements are often the only cost-effective alternate site alternative. When structuring your mutual aid agreements, try to select partners located a sufficient distance away to minimize the possibility of multiple building and community infrastructure damage. Certain service-based businesses may be able to work from distant hotels and motels – exponentially increasing alternate site options.
  5. Consider Pre-Positioning. Along the lines of operating from an alternate site, consider activating the alternate site prior to the actual hurricane strike for your most critical business operations. Effective pre-positioning plans can virtually guarantee uninterrupted critical business services.

How applicable are the above suggestions for your business? The answer is likely to depend on your business. If your business is manufacturing-based or if your business cannot easily relocate out of the area on a temporary basis, then you will need to emphasize business building and business asset protection.

Service businesses that primarily provide informational consulting services will likely be able to relocate (perhaps full) business operations at least temporarily. Pre-positioning of personnel and the use of alternate sites will likely be very effective. Although alternate site and pre-positioning may be very effective for certain businesses, these strategies require a great deal of logistics planning or they will fail in actual execution.

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