YOUR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS BRIEF
By the Risk Management Team
We are only weeks away from the official start of the hurricane season and although NOAA tools anticipate below average activity this year, we highly encourage you to review or create your emergency preparedness plan! Hurricanes are just one of several disasters that may occur, but emergencies can happen anywhere, at any time.
Accordingly, it is critical to establish, implement, and follow proper emergency procedures to be ready for the worst-case scenario. The SUNZ Insurance Risk Management Team is dedicated to enhancing safety and wellness practices for our insureds and is ready to provide assistance with the tools, knowledge, and resources you can use in the event of an emergency.
According to the National Centers of Environmental Information, 2023 started off with over 150 tornadoes across Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. In addition to tornadoes, mother nature had other surprises for us such as hale, flash floods, and wildfires sweeping across the US.
Last year Florida was hit with one of the deadliest hurricanes. According to NOAA, Hurricane Ian made a landfall as a category 4 storm causing massive devastation and disruption. Many businesses were affected by Ian and damage was severe in some areas, the level of devastation could have been much worse if proper emergency action/activities were not in place. It is vital to establish and follow proper emergency plan to prevent and control the severity of the event and successfully overcome the challenges created by the event.
Emergency Preparedness involves development and implementation of an Action Plan – a framework to prepare for, react to, and recover from various types of emergencies that could occur. An emergency can be any unexpected occurrence that presents a risk for a company, employees, or customers.
Initial Steps to formulate an Action Plan:
• Designate a team in charge of developing the Emergency Preparedness Plan.
• Analyze all potential hazards.
• Outline response procedures for all potential emergencies.
• Conduct trainings/drills to assure all personnel are aware of their role during an emergency.
• Regularly assess and update the plan.
• Stay current on safety and compliance changes.
Resources:
• Ready.gov provides several business toolkits to assist with Preparedness Planning for Your Business, including Power Outage, Flooding, and Hurricane toolkits as well as Social Media guidance.
• NOAA’s National Weather Service Safety Tips provide specific preparation and recovery tips for 19 different natural hazards.
• FEMA Mobile App for real-time alerts, customizable emergency checklists, and locating shelters and disaster recovery centers. Information is available in both English and Spanish.
• Visit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for small business preparedness
• Sunz Insurance Risk Management Center for eLearning Courses, Videos, and Training Material.
For assistance with Emergency Preparedness or any other safety needs for your company, employees, or clients, contact the SUNZ Insurance Risk Management Team.
We are here to hep!
