Natural disasters ravage houses, communities, cities and businesses. Disasters are not related only to Mother Nature, but can also be man-made, such as burglary, break-ins and digital breaches. Some of these disasters are preventable and you can still minimize the impacts of natural disaster by having proper preparation. You should evaluate the condition of your business to determine its degree of vulnerability:
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Significant potential threats in the area
As an example, if your business is located near the shore, hurricane is a bigger threat than flooding. If your business is located near tectonic faults, then earthquakes could be a big concern. Make a list of potential disasters in the area based on the degree of probability. If it is more likely to happen, then it needs to be at the top of the list.
You don’t have a communication strategy
You should regularly discuss with people in the workplace about the possibility of natural disaster. You should know what to do when there’s a prolonged blackout, since the electricity line can be cut out somewhere due to flood or tornado. You should also discuss other potential effects of natural disasters. There must be an action plan and make sure it’s practical enough. Having a phone that doesn’t get disconnected during the disaster is important. The best iPhone deals from fonehouse can make a difference.
Your location is a flood area
In many countries, flooding is the most common type of natural disaster. Flooding could happen due to rising tides, as well as overflowing lakes and rivers. Other causes of flooding are dam failures, sewer backups and flash floods that come down the slope of the hill. If your business is in a flood area and you have moderate risk, it should be a good idea to have an insurance.
You don’t have 24/7 monitoring system
This system is not only useful for preventing man-made disasters, but can also warn you about the effects of natural disasters to your work area. The CCTV can be connected to the Internet and sends you live stream, so you can check the situation of your workplace from home. You will know when strong winds and flooding starts to affect your office or stores. You will be able to react immediately to save much of your assets. A camera may also have digital motion detector, so you will be notified when someone approaches your office. You can use the camera to see if the person is attempting to break in, then you can immediately contact the local police.
You don’t perform regular safety evaluations
Many small businesses are suffering from internal thefts, perpetrated by bad employees. You should know that you can’t trust everyone and you need to perform internal checks to eliminate any possibility of thefts. You should properly distribute financial responsibility and workload, so an employee doesn’t have too much access to your financial resources.
You don’t make sure that all locks and doors are secured
If your lock and door are weak, burglars could simply kick them down to quickly grab something valuable from your office. Many burglars are capable to get in and out of your office in less than 10 minutes. Because they take everything that’s easy to grab, you should consider bolting down valuable items, such as safe and computer cases to the ground.
You don’t have a security-oriented IT team
A capable IT team should be able to keep all of your digital resources safe. They should have a strict list for preventing information theft. You may also use common sense, by never leaving important documents scattered around, locking any filing cabinet and shredding old documents that may contain critical details.
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