During hurricane season, ERC would like to offer the some guiding steps to prepare for a natural disaster and how we can help you recover.
Preparing for a storm requires due diligence before the storm, as well as assessing what is needed to recover from one. Preparation for post-hurricane damage is critical. Questions you should be asking:
- What is your company’s disaster response plan? Do you have one?
- Who’s in charge?
- Are there agreements in place for response?
- Do you have an inventory of hazardous substances within your facility?
- What is the plan for communication? This will be key to your business recovering.
- How will work be documented during the recovery process?
- Do you understand your insurance policies and what they will and will not cover?
- Do you have all your employees’ contact information in one place?
- Do you know what resources are available to you to build back your business?
- What local regulations may affect your business recovery efforts?
The Small Business Administration offers some great tips on developing a plan with checklists and safety tips readily available.
Once you have a disaster recovery plan in place, be sure to visit it at least once a year and update it with new information – such as new employees, changes in insurance companies or policies, and changes in local regulations that may impact your recovery efforts.
If you work for a governmental or non-profit organization, there are Purchase Cooperatives that now offer Disaster Recovery contracts with vendors already pre-qualified according to the State and Federal purchasing regulations. ERC holds Disaster Recovery contracts with three top notch coops:
- Choice Partners Contract – Disaster Mitigation with Restoration (JOC-IDIQ)
- Goodbuy Contract – Disaster Recovery and Remediation (JOC)
- TIPS Contract – Disaster Restoration and Emergency Recovery (JOC)
These contracts can assist your organization with getting back up and running without the long, drawn-out procurement process. We can come in and help with water removal, mold remediation, etc., then we can help build back your facility – all with the benefits of a single contract – a single organization to work with so you aren’t juggling various vendors through a tedious process.