It is vital, especially in Florida with its risk of severe storms, that you have a plan for getting your business back up and running following a disaster. Part of your plan may be having the right business insurance coverage for your specific operation. Your insurance agent may help you determine the policies that may be best for your business.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has some basic recommendations for Florida and other businesses around the country to follow in the event of a disaster.
• Consider your Florida suppliers as well as your own business by keeping an updated list of active suppliers and alternate suppliers. You may need a plan to keep your business running in case your regular Florida suppliers are devastated by a disaster and temporarily or permanently unable to fill your orders.
• It is important to keep an inventory of your business equipment, keep it properly maintained and have your service person’s contact information easily accessible.
• You may want to have a portable generator on hand in case of a power outage.
• It may be wise to know how to shut off utilities in the event of fire or burst water pipes.
• It may be wise to keep some essential equipment and valuable records stored offsite for business continuity purposes.
You may want to keep your insurance agent’s contact information handy, especially during the Florida hurricane season it is important, following a disaster, to begin the claims process quickly in order to get your business back up and running as soon as possible. Make sure as part of your disaster planning that you have the right insurance policies, and that they are kept up date, and provide adequate coverage limits.
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