Getting businesses ready for a disaster

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - When we think of a disaster here in the Hampton Roads area, our first thought is usually hurricane, but for businesses, disaster can take a number of different forms. There are natural disasters such as flooding, tornados, earthquakes and then there are man-made disasters such as a computer virus or hacking, power outage, robbery, and many more.

All of these should be taken into consideration when creating a Business Continuity Plan. Shelley Winegrad with BayPort Credit Union, a Certified Business Continuity Professional, has a few tips that can help.

September is National Preparedness Month, but why is it so important for business owners, especially small business owners, to have a plan?

A staggering statistic for small business owners to take into consideration is that 40 - 60 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster. Interruptions, if even just for a few hours, can cost business owners greatly in terms of lost productivity and profits.

What exactly is a Business Continuity plan?
It is simply the business' plan to resume business following a disaster. And there are some basic key components that need to be included in your plan. What are the vital processes of your business, how will your continue these processes following a business interruption and who will be responsible for this process? Also important, how and what you will communicate to your staff, customers, shareholders, and vendors/suppliers.

There are several resources for businesses looking to create a Business Continuity plan:

www.ready.gov
www.preparemybusiness.org
FREE FEMA hosted webinars in the month of September. Each Wednesday at 2 p.m. beginning  September 5, 2012.  For a list of topics and to register for any of these free webinars, click here .

For more information on Business Continuity Plans, stop by any of the 14 BayPort Credit Union locations across Hampton Roads.