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|  1) Assess The Hazards Identify the hazards most likely to affect your business. New York City faces a number of natural and man-made hazards, from fires and hurricanes to power outages and terrorist attacks. Consider the potential impacts of all hazards when developing emergency plans, such as whether your facility is vulnerable to flooding, or how a power outage might affect your company’s ability to do business. Decide which hazards are most likely to affect your business and plan for those first.
2) Plan to Stay in Business A business continuity plan outlines how to preserve and restore critical business functions after an emergency. Create a plan by determining which staff, materials, procedures, contacts, and equipment are necessary to keep the business operating at the most basic level. Think about how various hazards may disrupt the core functions of your business. Think about how they may affect access to your business. Develop emergency plans with key suppliers and other people you depend on to do business. Cultivate relationships with more than one supplier to ensure that a disaster that shuts down a supplier does not also shut you down. Keep copies of important documents, like tax records and business permits, you may need to rebuild your business in a waterproof, fireproof container. Store a second set off site. Make a list of your most important clients and plan ways to communicate and, if possible, service them during and after a disaster. REVIEW PLANS ANNUALLY
3) Talk to Your People One of the best methods of
assuring your company’s recovery is to provide for your coworkers’ well-being.
Communicate regularly with employees before, during, and after an incident. Use
newsletters, intranets, staff meetings, and other internal communications tools
to communicate emergency plans and procedures. Develop a plan to communicate
with employees during an emergency, like a phone tree or a messaging
service.
4) Protect Your Investment In addition to emergency planning and communicating with employees, there are steps you can take to safeguard your company and secure your physical assets. Keep a maintenance schedule, as well as a manufacturer and service contact for each piece of equipment. Raising sensitive equipment and inventory four to six inches off the ground can prevent damage from minor flooding or a broken water main. Insurance is a non-negotiable
cost of business. Meet with your insurance agent regularly to ensure you have
adequate coverage and knowledge of how to file a claim quickly. Consider a
policy that covers business interruption as well as physical
losses.
5) Know how to respond PLANNING TO STAY OR GO EMERGENCY SUPPLY KIT & GO BAG COORDINATE WITH OTHERS
Downloads (from Ready.gov - in PDF)
*NOTE: Business planning tools content adapted from the Department of Homeland Security's Ready Business program
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