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Creating a comprehensive emergency response plan for your business isn’t just a safety measure—it’s a smart investment in the well-being and longevity of your company. From natural disasters to unexpected technical failures, an effective emergency response plan ensures you’re ready for the unexpected and can help minimize damage, downtime, and costs.
If your commercial property was damaged in a fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster, you need a damage restoration company you can trust to respond effectively and rapidly. ATI Restoration’s commercial catastrophe services are available 24/7/365 throughout the continental United States. Our experts are standing by to help you face a number of challenges after an unexpected disaster.
According to FEMA, 43% of small businesses never reopen their doors after a natural disaster strikes. They go on to say that “businesses with resumption plans are usually operational sooner than businesses without plans.” According to an article from Insurance Journal, small businesses suffered more than $225 billion in losses in 2018, with insurance covering about $90 billion for weather damage like wildfires and wind damage.
The good news in all of this is that creating an emergency response plan doesn’t need to be complicated. Follow these easy steps to create a plan:
Preventative measures are the easiest and most cost-effective way to protect your business from potential threats. This includes regular safety inspections, staff training, and routine maintenance on systems like electrical wiring, HVAC units, and fire suppression equipment. If your business is located in an area prone to specific disasters—like hurricanes or flooding—installing a mitigation system, such as a flood barrier, can help prevent water damage before it happens.
Every emergency response plan should include an evacuation plan. Evacuation plans are essential for ensuring the safety of employees and visitors in the event of a fire, flood, or other emergency that requires immediate evacuation. An evacuation plan should:
Evacuation plans should be clearly communicated with employees and displayed in multiple areas around your commercial property, particularly in high-traffic or high-risk zones.
Every second counts in an emergency, so make sure your emergency response plan includes an up-to-date list of emergency contact numbers. This is essential for ensuring fast responses from both internal personnel and external emergency services. Key contacts should include:
This list should be easily accessible to everyone, whether through a physical copy in a prominent location or a digital file that can be quickly shared. Updating the list regularly is crucial to ensure that the contacts are current and accurate.
An emergency kit can be a lifesaver during a crisis. This kit should be strategically placed and well-stocked with supplies that could sustain employees and customers in an emergency until help arrives. Some key items to include are:
A good emergency response plan should ensure that emergency kits are placed in multiple locations around the commercial property, especially in larger buildings. Regularly check these kits to ensure supplies are not expired or depleted.
Losing essential business documents—such as contracts, financial records, and HR information—can be detrimental in a disaster. Store these documents in waterproof, fireproof containers, or save digital versions in a secure cloud system.
Critical documents to protect include:
If important documents sustain water damage, ATI Restoration provides reliable and professional commercial document drying services. Swift action is critical in water emergencies; our comprehensive restoration services are specially designed to address these urgent matters efficiently and rapidly.
A disaster doesn’t only affect physical assets; it can devastate your business’s digital assets as well. Backing up data ensures that, even in the event of a catastrophic data loss, your essential files are safe. To best protect your business, create both on-site and off-site backups:
Automate backup procedures whenever possible, with daily or weekly backups, depending on the importance of the information. Regularly test these backups to make sure they are up-to-date and operating properly.
Understanding the specific risks your business faces is crucial for effective emergency planning. Different businesses face unique threats based on location, industry, and building structure. For example, coastal businesses should prioritize hurricane and flood preparedness, businesses near fault lines should focus on earthquake readiness, and chemical-based industries should ensure that fire and spill containment measures are in place.
Work with local authorities, your insurance provider, and disaster response experts to carry out a full risk assessment. Look at natural, technological, and human-related risks to create prevention and response strategies that are customized for your business.
Insurance is a critical component of any emergency response plan, offering a financial safety net in case of disaster. But it’s not enough just to have insurance; it’s important to understand exactly what is covered, as policies vary greatly. When evaluating your coverage, consider the following:
You should regularly review and update your coverage to ensure it aligns with your evolving business needs, especially if you expand operations, acquire new assets, or change locations.
The longer you put off starting restoration and reconstruction after a natural disaster, the longer it'll take to get your business back on track. Waiting can also cause more damage, adding to repair time and costs.
An Emergency Response Agreement (ERA) with ATI Restoration guarantees priority service in the event of an emergency. As one of the nation’s top restoration and reconstruction companies, ATI Restoration receives many calls after a disaster, but with an ERA, your company will be our priority, and restoring your damaged property will be our top concern.
ATI Restoration offers the full spectrum of disaster recovery services for commercial properties, including:
ATI Restoration is proud to be a reliable partner in disaster recovery. Before we begin a vendor relationship, our team will work closely with your company’s key people to understand your needs, challenges, and current disaster recovery plan.
With our Emergency Response Agreement, there’s complete transparency. You’ll know exactly which services are included and what they’ll cost before signing anything, giving you the confidence to plan and budget effectively for disaster recovery.
With more than 70 locations nationwide, ATI Restoration has the knowledge, experience, and resources needed to address restoration and reconstruction projects of any size. If your commercial property has suffered fire, water, or structural damage, you can contact us 24/7/365. We respond to emergencies any time—day or night, weekends and holidays.