As Tropical Storm Bonnie approaches the Gulf Coast, BRAC wants to remind you to take the proper precautions to ensure the safety and security of your businesses, employees, and capital assets. Below you will find our Annual Hurricane Preparedness Recommendations originally released in June. BRAC strongly advises businesses of all sizes to start immediate preparation. BRAC will also make available a critical business information section on its website should any large-scale damage occur in south Louisiana.
In the event that a hurricane impacts the greater Baton Rouge area, businesses should ensure the security of their people, as well as information, equipment, and resources essential to their operations and customers. They should also be prepared with the correct information for handling post-event recovery efforts.
BRAC recommends that businesses should:
— Create a simple written plan, including task assignments, and provide a copy to every employee
— Understand the vulnerability of your business, including elevation in the event of flooding and the condition of your building in the event of severe winds
— Have an evacuation plan that provides for everyone on the premises to leave the workplace safely and quickly
— Maintain an up-to-date list of contact information for all employees and mission-critical business partners (including work and cell phones, work and/or personal email addresses, login ids and passwords for business accounts, PINs and codes for security access devices, etc); the list should include employees, customers, vendors, bankers, attorneys, and insurance agents
— Establish plans and schedules for communicating and coordinating with employees, especially those who have been displaced from their homes by the disaster
— Plan to use multiple means of communication to contact employees, customers, and suppliers, including wired telephone, cellular telephone, SMS text messaging, e-mail, and web services (e.g., Facebook, Twitter)
— Make clear arrangements for all staff to be able to contact the business or locate information about the business if it is temporarily closed or forced from its normal location
— Establish management succession procedures and clear chains of authority Identify operations critical to the company’s survival and recovery
— Identify core personnel, records, procedures, and equipment necessary to maintain business operations
— Protect vital business records, financial data, accounting records, personnel information, inventory information, etc., and ensure that all digital information is redundantly backed up with copies placed at off-site locations
— Develop a continuity of operations (COOP) plan if normal business locations are inaccessible
— Prepare for lengthy power outages during and after a disaster, including arranging for back-up power sources and fuel supplies
— In addition to these suggestions, there are several online resources available to assist businesses with their hurricane planning and disaster response:
State of Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) Get A Game Plan (www.getagameplan.org)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Ready Business (www.ready.gov/business/index.html)
Entergy Operation: Storm Ready (www.entergy.com)
Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Assistance Loans (www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or dial 1-800-659-2955)
In the event of tropical storm formation, the NOAA National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov) will have the latest tracking information, watches, warnings, and alerts available online. Should a federal emergency be declared resulting from a hurricane in our area, BRAC will issue specific contact information and physical locations for obtaining for business disaster loans available through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and any assistance programs offered through Louisiana state government.
BRAC maintains a disaster preparation and response partnership with all regional economic development organizations and chambers of commerce in Louisiana, as well as state agencies. If necessary, BRAC will publish a business information section on its website in order to assist companies if severe damage were to occur. As part of the material, BRAC will include such things as important contact information, assistance and recovery updates, office space availability, and temporary housing options. It will also provide BRAC-prepared research detailing the possible impact the storm may have on the local, regional, and/or state economy. The information would be available at www.brac.org/recovery.
