Do you think your business could survive a flood, hurricane, fire or other type of natural disaster? The fact is that up to 25 percent of businesses that are forced into closure will never reopen after a weather-related disaster.

While there is no way to reduce the potential for a natural disaster, there are a number of steps that can be taken to help protect your business. Creating and sharing a disaster recovery plan with your business’s employees will help ensure everyone knows what to do when disaster strikes. Some of the best things to do to prepare for a disaster are:

Identify Potential Problems
Do you live near water? Are you in an area that is prone to wild fires? It’s important to consider each possible disaster and how likely it is to happen. This will help you figure out what you need to be prepared for.

Get to Know Your Insurance Policy
It’s important to figure out what coverage you have for certain disasters and what your deductibles are. There are some policies that don’t cover things such as floods or earthquakes. If you are in an area where this is a possibility, it’s essential to take note of this and purchase additional insurance.

Create Your Plan
Be sure that the plan you create for dealing with a disaster is understood by every employee within your business. It’s essential to have everyone on board when making this type of plan.

Test the Plan
Once you have created your emergency response plan, it’s essential to test it on a regular basis. Be sure that the issues you have identified are still relevant and that everyone knows what to do, especially new workers or employees.

Taking the time to plan for a disaster before it happens will give you the best chance possible of recovering successfully. Don’t take for granted that it has been years since an earthquake, hurricane or other disaster has struck – protect your investment by planning now.