Guide for Disaster Preparedness
Help Your Business Weather the Storm: Readiness Starts Now
As we enter the height of hurricane season and the potential for severe weather increases across Georgia, we urge all members to proactively prepare for disaster and crisis scenarios of all types.
Natural disasters can strike with little warning disrupting business operations, threatening employee safety, and impacting our local economy. That’s why we’re working in partnership with the Georgia Chamber to provide timely resources, expert guidance, and response coordination to help you stay ahead of the storm.
We encourage you to review and share the Top 10 Business Preparedness Checklist below with your team today. These simple yet critical steps can make all the difference in ensuring your business is ready to respond and recover quickly.
Top 10 Things Georgia Small Businesses Should Do Now
1. Update Your Emergency Plan
Ensure all employees understand evacuation routes, communication protocols, and continuity procedures.
2. Back Up Critical Data
Safeguard digital and physical records—financial, HR, customer files, and more (offsite or in the cloud).
3. Review Insurance Coverage
Double-check that your policy includes storm and flood protection. Update inventory records to speed up claims.
4. Create a Communications Tree
Establish group texts or email chains to keep employees, customers, suppliers, and partners informed during an emergency.
5. Develop a Remote Work Strategy
Test your systems now so your team can pivot quickly if the workplace becomes inaccessible.
6. Assemble an Emergency Supply Kit
Include essentials like flashlights, batteries, chargers, first-aid kits, power banks, and tools.
7. Secure Your Facilities
Trim nearby trees, board up windows, clear drains, and elevate valuable equipment in flood-prone areas.
8. Designate a Disaster Response Coordinator
Assign someone responsible for monitoring store activity, implementing your plan, and updating stakeholders.
9. Know Your Recovery Resources
Identify assistance from FEMA, the SBA, state agencies, and your local Chamber - before a disaster hits.
10. Bookmark Key Preparedness Tools
- Georgia Chamber Disaster Resource Center: www.gachamber.com/resilience
- U.S. Chamber R4R Toolkit: uschamberfoundation.org/readiness-for-resiliency-r4r-toolkit
Preparedness is not just protection; it’s a competitive advantage. Please don’t wait until the storm is near to act. Share this information with your team, and let us know if we can assist you in reviewing or developing a plan for your business.
Stay safe and prepared!