Fay (General)

Fay Tropical Storm Fay wandered through Central Florida yesterday and as I help Julie prepare our center for the potential emergency, I had visions of the 2003 hurricane season where we had multiple destructive tornadoes hit our region. At the time, I was a marketing counselor in the UCF Small Business Development Center. We were assisting many clients who had had their businesses destroyed and were struggling to put things back together. At the same time, we were helping businesses that were suddenly in great demand. (tree trimming, roofers) Fay did not produce such devastating effects to our region, but the preparation exercise reminded me that there are some essential things that every business should do as part of an emergency plan. These are just a few that came to mind on Tuesday as I assisted our resident disaster chief, Julie as she powered down our center. 1) Back up all your computer records and take them to a different (secure) site 2) Back up your customer and supplier databases, complete with phone, account numbers and email addresses…maybe on your memory stick 3) Keep your accounting information, accounts payable, receivables with you 4) Print your employee contact lists and keep them informed. 5) Prepare your offices by putting things into drawers, files into cabinets and locking them, cover your equipment with plastic and disconnect the power. 6) Locate your insurance policy and keep it with you. 7) Take pictures of your office and your equipment for your future files.