www.ready.ga.gov

Ready Your Business

www.Ready.GA.gov

State of the Emergency

• Georgia is at risk natural disasters:• Severe thunderstorms, lightning,

tornadoes and flooding• Tropical storms and hurricanes• Drought• Wildfires• Winter weather

Ice storms Snow storms

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State of the Emergency

• Georgia also is at risk for man-made and biological disasters• Chemical spills• Terrorist attacks

In June 2009, a college student was convicted of conspiring to provide material support for terrorism and was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison

• Pandemics

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Why Prepare?

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Plan for Success

• Safeguard your business from unforeseen natural or manmade disasters that can occur without warning• According to the SBA, small to mid-size businesses

are most vulnerable• A business continuity plan will

Protect your employees and bottom line Minimize loss and damages Ensure strong economic development in Georgia

Real-life Example

• Eggo waffles comprise 73 percent of the market

• They disappeared from supermarkets for seven months in 2009-2010 due, in part, to flood damage at its Atlanta plant

www.Ready.GA.gov

www.ready.ga.gov

Ready Resources

• Ready Georgia offers “Ready Your Business”

• Intended for use by small or large organizations in any

industry

• Implemented plan will help limit impact from major

interruptions that could disrupt normal operations

• 12 Point Program makes planning comprehensive, easy

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#1 Create Planning Team

• Determine who will participate in emergency planning and crisis management

• Develop a chain of command/continuity of authority (one primary two alternates)

• Keep team information updated

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#2 Communications

• Establish options and solutions for a communications plan

• Maintain reliable communications with employees, customers, vendors and responders

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#3 Risks and Hazards

• Work with your local emergency management agency to assess risks and hazards

• The two biggest mistakes that many businesses make are (1) failing to identify a potential hazard, and (2) underestimating the severity of a known potential hazard.

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#4 Internal/External Resources

• Evaluate each department or area of organization to identify internal resources and capabilities needed to respond to an emergency

• Identify external resources such as public emergency services, business partners, vendors and contractors

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#5 Vulnerability Assessment

• This assessment is the process of identifying, quantifying and documenting the probability and overall severity of various types of threats or hazards

• Select a minimum of three risks/hazards

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#6 Essential Business Function

• Determine each function that generates revenue or is essential to normal business operations

• Identify what functions must be operating for recovery

• Recognize the most critical, time sensitive and analyze cost of downtime

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#7 Human Resources: Contacts

• Review employee information

• Learn how to best communicate

• Train and prepare for unexpected events

• Develop emergency HR procedures, such as teleworking

• Promote individual and family preparedness in newsletters, on website, etc.

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Get a Kit

• Recommended items:• Water, one gallon of water per

person per day for at least three days

• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

• Flashlight and extra batteries• Battery-powered or hand

crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with extra batteries for both

• Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members and pets

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Where to Keep Your Kit

• Keep items in a plastic storage container, backpack or tote bag.

• Store your kit in a designated area and have it ready to go if needed

• Keep an extra kit in your car and at the office

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Make a Plan

• Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance• Plan places where your family will meet, both within

and outside of your immediate neighborhood• Make sure everyone knows where to go if a tornado

warning is issued (basement or interior hallway)• Plan how you will care for your pets in an emergency• Identify an out-of-town contact • Have redundant ways to call the emergency contact

(texting, solar/hand crank cell phone battery chargers, landline phone, car charger)

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There’s an App for That

www.Ready.GA.gov

Android QR Code

iPhone QR Code

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Promoting Preparedness

• Online resources:• Provide a link to Ready Georgia on

your website using the badge• Showcase our YouTube videos• Mention Ready Georgia and

www.ready.ga.gov in newsletters• Distribute Ready checklists at

meetings

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Online Toolkit

• Use the toolkit to engage your employees• Handouts• Backgrounders• Presentation Tools• Recent Research

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#8 Evacuation and Sheltering

• Determine when to evacuate or shelter in place

• Communicate that life and safety of employees and customers are number one priority

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#9 Emergency Supplies

• Prepare facility with necessary supply items in case of an emergency

• Coordinate supplies by what the organization can provide and what employees should maintain in their work areas

Question

• What is NOAA Weather radio?

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Answer

• NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts watches and warnings from the National Weather Service and information about man-made disasters, like an act of terrorism. It will wake you up in the middle of the night and give you critical minutes needed to take cover. You can buy them for about $30 at many stores.

www.Ready.GA.gov

www.ready.ga.gov

#10 Insurance Coverage

• A business may rely on an insurance claim payment to carry them through a disaster

• Review insurance types, limits and options for necessary recovery

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#11 Vital Records

• Record all documents that are vital to perform your essential business functions or necessary to file an insurance claim or apply for a business recovery loan • Examples include financial, contractual,

business insurance, customers, vendors

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#12 Data Protection

• Develop a backup program and off-site storage procedure with a data recovery program

• Establish procedures to safeguard data against outside attacks and employee error

• Protect your business against compromised personal information

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Question

• What is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States?

Answer

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• Heat• Based on the 10-year average

from 2000 to 2009, excessive heat claims an average of 162 lives a year.

• NEVER leave children or animals in a parked car. It can take as little as two minutes for temperatures to reach lethal levels, even in the spring and fall.

Question

• How many inches of fast-moving water does it take to know someone off their feet?

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www.Ready.GA.gov

Answer

Six inches!• Other flood facts …

• One foot of water can float a full-size automobile. Two feet of fast-moving water can sweep it away.

• Nearly half of all flash-flood fatalities are vehicle-related, so never drive through standing water in the road. Turn around and don’t drown!

Social Media

• GEMA is on Twitter. Follow us @GeorgiaEMA

• “Like” GEMA and Ready GA on Facebook• www.facebook.com/ReadyGA• www.facebook.com/GEMA.OHS

• Watch Ready Georgia’s videos on YouTube• www.youtube.com/

ReadyGAfromGEMA

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Additional Resources

• FEMA’s Continuity Business Suite software can be found at www.ready.gov/business-continuity-planning-suite

• Enroll in the American Red Cross Ready Rating program at readyrating.org

www.Ready.GA.gov

www.Ready.GA.gov

Questions?

Lisa Janak Newman

Lisa.Janak@gema.ga.gov