On July 7, Colorado State University predicted the U.S. will be affected by 20 named storms. Nine of the storms are expected to become hurricanes, and four of those hurricanes are set to become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) with 115-mph-winds on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Having led crisis management teams through Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as tornadoes that ripped through communities where businesses were located and employees lived, I know of the challenges business leaders face when responding and recovering from severe weather incidents.

Are you prepared to effectively respond if your organization and your employees are impacted by severe weather? Here are some thoughts on how you can start preparing today:

Review your insurance policies. In disaster recovery, you need to have your business up and running as soon as possible. By reviewing your insurance policies now, you have time to reach out to your insurance company to ask questions and make any adjustments.

Connect with your local emergency response personnel. Now is a great time to reach out to your local emergency response teams—police, fire, and EMS—to build a good relationship. By connecting with first responders they will know who you are, what you do and how you will help them when they answer the call in your time of need.

Test your crisis management plan. Spend a few hours with your management team to review your current crisis management plan and put it to the test! Create a scenario that includes long-term infrastructure damage and repair. If your computer networks are down and your building is damaged, how will you communicate with your customers and employees?

Help your employees prepare, too. Just as you need to make sure your business is prepared and can recover as quickly as possible, you can also help your employees prepare, too! By providing information on how employees can protect their own homes and personal property, as well as how you will respond to their needs following the incident, will show you care for their well-being and safety both at home and while at work.

And, if you need help reviewing your organization’s crisis management plans or would like to coordinate a management team crisis scenario exercise, empHowered PR can help!

Reach out to us today at lauren@empHoweredPR.com.