Business Preparation

Florida Keys Hurricane Guide 2009

Craig Marston, Division Chief for Emergency Management & Training at City of Key West Fire Department is adamant business owners do not wait until after a hurricane hits, to figure out how to recover in the event of a hurricane. He advises them to be wary, “The government may not come.” In addition, Marston advises businessmen and women not wait until June 1 to ready themselves and stated, “I don’t like planning when there’s a storm brewing.”

The Weekly Newspapers sat down with Marston at the top of La Concha, considered to be “high ground” at 11 feet above sea level, to outline a preparation checklist.

THINK FAST…THINK BIG…THINK SURVIVAL

Do not just think of yourself and your family. Be aware of your neighbors and other businesses. Think about ways you can co-op even if it entails sharing a hammer, nails, or shoes with another business. Then, once you’ve survived, look at your mistakes. What strategies can you implement to avoid making the same mistakes again.

HAVE A BACK-UP BUSINESS PLAN

Business owners often have a business plan for finances and other contingencies, but many do not plan for a hurricane. People do not think about it until the alarm is sounded. Secure a second, mainland host site where the business can keep up and running. Another crucial element will entail scanning all insurance documents, corporate by-laws, etc. and placing them on a flash drive.

OBTAIN A RE-ENTRY STICKER

This is primarily for residents to show the firemen, policemen, and National Guard soldiers. Even if you live in Sugarloaf, you will need a Key West re-entry sticker to show officials to access a Key West business location. Business owners without them will not be granted access to their offices. We have to be certain the business owner is who they say they are; otherwise, we are opening our community to looters. This is the last scenario we need in the event of a hurricane.

IMPLEMENT A NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR EMPLOYEES

Marston points to a company in Louisiana that evacuated 3,600 employees after Hurricane Katrina hit. To this day, only 300 of the employees have been accounted for. Have a system in place to notify your employees when an ideal time is for them to return to their workplace.

DON’T MAKE DISASTER THE FINAL EXAM

Planning trumps panic. Logical sense tells us not to cram the night before. As emergency preparedness, we have a written plan, so regardless which kind of service the business offers, have a disaster plan. Once those shutters come off we need to know what kinds of services we can provide to get the business up and running again. The job is ours to control the panic, and communication needs to be open in order for this to happen.