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Archive for category: Disaster Preparedness

After the Storm: Long-Term Recovery and Resilience After a Major Storm

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News

By Debra Schweikowksy | January 2, 2025

After the storm, businesses can take critical steps for long term recovery and focus on being resilient. I visited many businesses and communities after Hurricanes Helene and Milton and saw business owners assessing their business damage, doing inventory, cleaning up, and making repairs to their business. Many businesses were doing their best to open as soon as possible even if it was at limited capacity and providing limited services or figuring how to pivot – this is business resiliency. Businesses can survive and even thrive after such events by having effective preparation and recovery strategies in place.

Challenges

The road to recovery can take time after a major storm. Businesses who experienced physical damage, are waiting on insurance, a business loan to cover structural damage, or replacing equipment, machinery, furniture, and technology. They may also experience environmental concerns such as mold, contamination, or making sure they are providing a healthy environment for their employees and customers, or clients. Other challenges include economic injury, which is loss of revenue. Business who to return to normal operations quickly will help minimize the financial impact of the disaster.

Business Continuity Plan

Having a Business Continuity Plan in place outlines steps that a company will take to ensure their business will continue to function even after a disaster. This can include risk assessment which identifies what the risks are specific to a business.

Emergency contact list should include:

  • your team,
  • suppliers,
  • vendors,
  • contractors, and
  • emergency services which include local, state, and federal resources.

It should also include a plan for how your business operations will continue if your business location is unable to open, such as temporary work location, and protocols that are put in place. You should also have a plan in place to safeguard data, important documents, and system backups. Your business should not rely on a single source for supplies or services. Instead diversifying the supply chain across different vendors or regions can help mitigate the risk of interruptions caused by storms.

Review and Revise

After the storm and recovery is well on its way take the time to review and revise your business continuity plan. This is a good time to see what worked well and what didn’t. Consider your biggest challenges that your business faced. Identify areas for improvement in preparation for future storms, and then update your plan, training policies and procedures, then practice them. Look for ways to make your business more resilient, including:

  • investing in better infrastructure
  • new roof
  • storm shutters
  • backup generator
  • flood barriers

Review your insurance policy and investigate coverages including business interruption, flood, and storm surge. Make sure your technology is up to date including investing in backup systems, include cybersecurity measures. Cash flow is important, so make sure that you have a business line of credit in place as this can help while waiting for insurance claims, emergency funding, or a long-term loan Small Business Administration (SBA) loan. All the above will help to improve your business operations.

Planning in advance for long-term recovery and for long-term resilience is critical. The goal is to ensure that your business is stronger, more adaptable, and better prepared for future events.

Read part one

Author

Debra Schweikowsky

Debra Schweikowsky

Consultants, Finance, Pinellas, Schweikowsky

Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development

Specialty: Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP-BCA), Capital Access, Finance

Debra Schweikowsky is a business professional with experience in business management, administration, banking and finance. She was a small business owner with more than 20 years of experience, including as a franchisee. As a business owner, she successfully implemented a variety of revenue enhancement strategies and is results driven. As a franchisee, she successfully implemented a variety of revenue enhancements, sales tactics, and marketing initiatives, to increase revenues. Schweikowsky successfully sold her business by following an established exit strategy.
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https://enwqtxc9es4.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/After-the-Storm_-Long-Term-Recovery-and-Resilience-After-a-Major-Storm.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 750 1420 sbdclarry /wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Locked-Host-Logos-Horizontal-USF-Small-e1728920602651.png sbdclarry2025-01-06 13:06:372025-01-06 13:09:34After the Storm: Long-Term Recovery and Resilience After a Major Storm

After the Storm: How Businesses Can Rebound After a Hurricane

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News

by Debra Schweikowsky | January 2, 2025 Our region experienced Hurricane Helene in September 2024 then just a few weeks later Hurricane Milton. These hurricanes caused widespread destruction to businesses including property damage, physical damage, disruption of business operations, loss of jobs, and economic loss. Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton also wreaked havoc on communities […]

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https://enwqtxc9es4.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/After-the-Storm_-How-Businesses-Can-Rebound-After-a-Hurricane.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 750 1420 sbdclarry /wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Locked-Host-Logos-Horizontal-USF-Small-e1728920602651.png sbdclarry2025-01-06 13:03:542025-01-06 13:09:04After the Storm: How Businesses Can Rebound After a Hurricane

Preventing Export Disruption After a Storm

Blog, Disaster Preparedness

by Selma Canas | November 4, 2024 Storms can cause significant disruptions to supply chains, particularly for businesses involved in exports. From damaged infrastructure to labor shortages, the challenges can be overwhelming. Here are some practical tips to help you minimize export disruptions and ensure a smooth recovery, along with specific examples and resources. 1. […]

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https://enwqtxc9es4.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Preventing-Export-Disruption-After-a-Storm.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1 750 1420 sbdclarry /wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Locked-Host-Logos-Horizontal-USF-Small-e1728920602651.png sbdclarry2024-11-05 11:10:232024-11-05 11:10:25Preventing Export Disruption After a Storm

Insurance: Does My Business Really Need It?

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Finance

by Christine Jaros | October 25, 2023 Business insurance is an extra cost that seems like a non-performing safeguard when everyone is counting pennies and using those pennies for a much-needed website, tools, materials, or daily administrative supplies. It seems so much more important to cover those expenses with an immediate return versus allocating funds […]

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COVID-19 Pandemic Broadens Access to Training for Entrepreneurs

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News, Press Releases, SBDC News

TAMPA (March 5, 2021) – With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida immediately halted all of its in-person events. The center typically hosts between 80 to 100 events each year at its Channelside Drive location, in downtown Tampa. This includes eight to 12 face-to-face […]

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Governor Activates Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News, Press Releases, SBDC News

Florida SBDC at USF to Administer Loans in 10-county Tampa Bay region TAMPA (March 17, 2020) – The Florida SBDC at University of South Florida will facilitate the loan process for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, for small businesses in the Tampa Bay region. The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, […]

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Coronavirus: Small Business Updates and Resources

Blog, COVID-19, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News, Healthcare, SBDC News

COVID-19 Emergency Bridge Loan Extensions: The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) sent an email on April 21, 2021, to COVID-19 Emergency Bridge Loan recipients with directions regarding how to apply for a repayment extension. The email came from “Rebuild Florida No Reply” with the Subject: “Emergency Bridge Loan Extension Request.” Check your email for the […]

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President Declares Major Disaster for Florida

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News

WASHINGTON –The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Florida to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Hermine during the period of August 31 to September 11, 2016. The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected […]

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Deadline Approaching in Florida for SBA Working Capital Loans

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News, Press Releases

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations that Oct. 17 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans in Florida as a result of excessive rain and flooding on Dec. 3-10, 2015. This disaster declaration includes […]

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Hurricane Hermine – Business Disaster Assessment Survey

Blog, Disaster Preparedness, Featured News, Press Releases, SBDC News

The Florida Virtual Business Emergency Operations Center http://flvbeoc.org/ has activated its damage assessment survey for all businesses to register the impact from the storm http://flvbeoc.org/index.php?action=bda Please help us get this information to the local businesses so that they can register their damages and help the state officials determine the extent the Emergency Bridge Loan program […]

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