When disaster strikes, be sure to have a well-practiced emergency plan that fits your business needs. This can include creating rainy day fund when income is depleted and a contingency care plan when staff members are stranded by a disaster, says business owner Stephen Carter.

As CEO of Sterling Staffing Solutions, Carter oversees medical care by 575 clinicians to approximately 800 patients throughout Texas. Carter, a native Houstonian familiar with the disasters of Hurricanes Ike and Rita, ensured his family, clients and staff were safe prior to Hurricane Harvey. Once the storm hit, reality did as well - he did not properly anticipate how the disaster would effect his business.

“All I could do was think - what happens if we can’t open our business up again on Monday? What if our offices flood? Is my data safe? If employees are temporarily disabled, or even worse, die in this storm, how do we rebound?  What if I or my business partner lose our lives, how does our business survive?” says Carter. “It became evident that we should have devised an appropriate emergency disaster plan.”

The following are some of Carter’s emergency preparedness tips and lessons learned after Hurricane Harvey:

• Have a Rainy Day Fund. Revenue generation was cut to 25 percent for at least two weeks for his business. Client checks mailed to pay for prior invoices were delayed. Know that during an emergency, your business may need to be self-sufficient. Start off with one month of savings and modify for business growth.
• Protect Your Business and Your Clients. After the hurricane hit, it was difficult to assess where clients and patients had been evacuated. FEMA ordered a stroke patient to evacuate her home and her assigned physical therapist was also displaced due to flooding. Identify backup personnel to step in when your primary or secondary resources are not available.
  
  
• Identify the Potential Risks. Ask - What could happen that might stop your ability to conduct business? Assess not only severe weather, but equipment failure, malpractice/liability insurance, terrorist attacks and the like that may be specific to your business.    
  
  
• Be Appropriately Insured. Sterling Staffing Solutions is on the first floor of a multi-story building. Like many others, Carter did not have flood insurance because he was not required to have it - the business wasn’t located in a flood plain. But water damage can occur anywhere, he says. For example: A client’s high-rise office had its windows blown out by a hurricane, and rain damaged its interior. Get flood insurance coverage along with professional liability, renal, property and workers compensation.

Taking these steps will help you and your business begin to form a emergency preparedness plan that is tailored to your needs.

 For more information, visit sterlingstaffingsolutions.com.