Helping businesses prepare for a disaster
CIVIC CENTER If disaster strikes and you’re at work, who will you turn to and where will you go? If you’re a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a small mom-and-pop, do you have a plan to not only protect your employees, but your bottom line as well?
These are important questions to ask, but even more important, is being able to answer them with confidence, said representatives from the local Red Cross and the Santa Monica Fire Department, who on Wednesday brought together employees at major companies like HBO and MTV as well as nonprofits and public institutions such as the school district to educate them on the value of preparedness.
“We have a responsibility to plan for disasters,” Paul Weinberg, emergency services coordinator for the SMFD, said during the meeting at RAND Corp. that attracted roughly 60 participants.
“We are in earthquake country,” Weinberg added. “We chose to live here.”
The businesses that participated in the disaster preparedness seminar are being asked to join SMOAID — Santa Monica Organizations Active in Disasters,which was formed by the Red Cross and the SMFD in September 2005 to meet the needs of the 250 families who evacuated the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and moved to Santa Monica for assistance.
Representatives from many Santa Monica service, city government and faith-based organizations were part of the initial SMOAID program and organizers are looking for those from the private sector to join and offer assistance. The goal is to strengthen and improve emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts locally.
“Most every company does fire drills, but there is so much more to this than that,” said John Pacheco, executive director of the Santa Monica Red Cross. “It’s about how to keep a business running after a disaster. By preparing before a disaster hits, recovery will be that much easier.”
Not being prepared can be costly. Employees can lose their lives and companies can go belly-up. A study released by the Small Business Administration found that 80 percent of businesses that do not have a disaster response and recovery plan are likely to go out of business within a year. Of those businesses that experience a disaster and have no plan in place, 43 percent never reopen and of those that do, only 29 percent are still operating two years later. It is not enough to make sure that people are prepared at home. If a community such as New Orleans or others devastated by Hurricane Katrina does not have businesses to support residents, the community disintegrates, leaving behind a ghost town.
“The first thing families ask is, ‘Am I still employed?’” Pacheco said. “The ability of a business community to bounce back following a disaster is critical.”
The disaster that will most likely strike Santa Monica will be an earthquake,but one cannot rule out fires,landslides,a terrorist attack, a tsunami, a major power outage or flu pandemic — all of which can wreak havoc on a workforce and a community.
To protect a business and its employees, it is important to first develop a game plan when a disaster strikes. That means supplying all employees with enough food and water to last seven days. Offices should also have preparedness kits on hand that includes extra medications, a battery-powered radio and flashlight.
Employees should also be trained in CPR/First Aid and have contact information for family members on hand. Companies should also have a designated media person to disseminate information about the company to customers and to offer employees the latest on evacuations and shelters.
Taking care of employees is just as important as caring for customers. If a disaster strikes, does your company have enough food and water to take care of customers for a few hours or a few days. How will they be transported to safety? Is there an alternative work site to maintain communication with customers, vendors and suppliers.
Weinberg recommended businesses team up with their competitors to share resources if there is an emergency. It is also good to create a list of alternate suppliers and to keep copies of important documents off site so they are protected. It also wouldn’t hurt to have employees know where gas shut off valves are located.
“I realized how important it is to have a good communication or phone list,” Eddie Garcia with the YMCA said following the SMOAID meeting. “It’s important to be able to contact people quickly when something happens.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 13, 2008. Read the original PDF.