Question: In addition to the normal disaster preparation steps we take to preserve our lives and property as individuals, what should businesses do to prepare?

Answer: Prepare, plan and protect. Prepare a plan and have it communicated and implemented amongst your employees. Keep updated, to determine if a situation will be an emergency or nonemergency. If facing an emergency, determine whether your business should remain open or closed, and inform vendors and clients of your intentions in a timely manner. Make employees aware of hurricane preparedness checklists so they’re ready, and generate a phone list to quickly communicate information to employees. Also, businesses should always consider communications after a disaster, having some kind of a landline, since landlines aren’t contingent on power.

Q: Different types of businesses may have different preparation needs — say, a retail store and restaurant would likely need to take different actions, wouldn’t they?

A: You can have flooding, from rain and ocean storm surge, so you should know whether or not you’re in a flood zone. If you are, then anything left on the ground will be damaged. Ensure that anything that’s important is 2 or 3 feet above the ground, to prepare for both types of water damage. As for restaurants, the problems you’re going to have are, for instance, the freezers going out, resulting in product damage. You could think about possibly increasing the freezer temperature and padding down the freezer with extra lining, perhaps newspaper.

To try and prevent wind damage, look around the property to see what is not tied down (and secure it). On the inside, take a look around at what’s near the windows. Valuable or important items should be moved to a more central location. Business also should prepare for a fire, which could result after power restoration.

The last thing is looting. In case you have valuable things sitting out there, you really want to be able to mitigate that. Lock up valuables in a more centrally located room, or lock it down.

Q: There is so much focus on disaster preparedness when a hurricane is approaching or when an earthquake has generated a tsunami, leaving little time to prepare. Isn’t being prepared something a business should plan for well in advance?

A: Business owners should have a class on emergency preparedness, or at least send information home so employees know what they need to do at home. If you have an employee distracted by thoughts of what they still have to do at home, they’re not going to be productive at work. The more they’re prepared at home, the more they’ll be prepared to help you at work. 

Q: Aren’t there many different types of businesses that maybe should stay open in a time of emergency?

A: Businesses have to really consider whether or not their employees or their business is considered essential. Also, they are required by HIOSH and OSHA to ensure their employees’ safety while at work. You really have to know when to send people home so it doesn’t impact your business, but also, be aware of employees’ health and safety and give them reasonable time to get home as well.

Q: What if my business is in a high-rise? Should I worry about the glass windows?

A: A lot of times, the buildings that are high-rises have windows that are treated for stronger winds. Businesses should know the rating of their windows. When in doubt, apply tape, using a technique that will help prevent any shards from flying around in case of breakage.

Q: What about important business records?

A: A lot of small mom-and-pop businesses are backing up their computers, but the backup is right where the computer is, so they should consider taking the backups home with them or putting them into a fireproof and weatherproof safe. All businesses should consider that after a storm, power surges can happen. I was on the Big Island once and they had just had a power outage. The power came back on, and it popped the electronics and caught on fire. If you’re going to leave your business, shut off the power to prevent surges so you don’t have to worry about potential fires.

Q: What about other methods of backing up records, such as cloud or off-site backup?

A: You should have two sources. The cloud is always good, because it’s somewhere else, but you’re relying on Internet capabilities. If you really need your data, then with battery backup or generators, you can back it up manually on your hard drive.

Q: What about after an emergency, when things can’t quite be back to business as usual?

A: After the emergency, when you start opening your business, you have to do that in accordance with Civil Defense recommendations. Civil Defense needs to have an open road, so your employees shouldn’t be flooding the streets.