Page 41 - midJersey Business - May 2015

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Consider adding off-site backup for and others all need to hear from you. If V
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your most critical documents or keep you fail to provide them with ongoing o
them in a safe area on your property, information about your company’s status, E
v
such as a safe or secure room, so they’re they will ill in the missing information ,
protected during a storm and available with their own conjecture. Prepare with e
r
afterward. Safe rooms can be built into backup communication options to remain W
existing buildings using advanced tech- in contact and help ensure your com-

nology and materials to protect against pany’s recovery is quick and eicient:
hurricane-force winds and lying debris, O

and even can be treated to protect against Make sure your clients or customers
ire and ballistics. For many businesses, have alternative methods to reach you R

converting existing space into a usable in the event of a prolonged disruption. K
safe room is a cost-efective way to pro- Create detailed contact lists with all your

tect your personnel, iles, inventory, data, major business contacts, with backup in-
,
and information systems.

To prepare your business for A safe room also provides
P

disasters, you must address a secure location where L
employees can take refuge in
three major problems: loss of A
the event of a violent, man-
power, loss of communications, made emergency. Talk with
Y
your contractor to make sure
and loss of property.
it allows for Wi-Fi and cell

signals so you can stay con-
nected during an emergency.
formation for your employees, partners,

vendors, and insurance agents.
Use an emergency message system to A plan for continued operations. Busi-

send one message that reaches all of nesses have to deliver results for their
your employees and key stakeholders. customers in all circumstances. Your

Document your assets. Take pictures company should have a plan to continue
of all your property before a disaster operating should your oice space be-

strikes. Visual documentation of your come unusable or if key personnel will

most important assets will help your be out of work for an extended period of
insurance assess the damage and com- time. This means identifying alternative

pensate you for any loss.
worksites and backup sources of power
Discover 2015/16 Edition and establishing a succession plan. Key

Running a small business requires personnel should share critical infor-
strategic planning, from the logistics
mation with their identiied successor

ACCOMMODATIONS
of delivering a product or service to regularly to ensure a seamless transition
ATTRACTIONS
managing employee beneits. Disaster if someone is suddenly unable to work.
DINING
ENTERTAINMENT
preparedness and response is simply A useful exercise in your emergency
another element of your overall strategic preparedness planning is to determine
RELOCATION RESOURCES
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plan. A natural or manmade disaster is what item or responsibility would make
beyond your control, but your company’s your business diicult to run if it were

For rates and space reservation
response to it is not. The biggest step you suddenly gone or unavailable and develop
can take to keep people safe and your a plan to mitigate those risks so your
in the 2015/16 Edition,
company in business is to develop a for- company can function without it.
please contact
mal plan and to practice executing that
ORSOLA ANDERSEN
plan on a regular basis.
Emergency communications. During an
at 609-689-9960 x 21
emergency, it can be easy to focus solely
Orsola@MIDJerseyChamber.org
Vincent G. Cerio is president and founder of StormRooms of New Jersey. on the next few critical minutes. But your

For more information, visit www.stormroomsofnj.com.
employees, customers, business partners,

may 2015 39

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