Preparedness Is Key to Continuity for Florida ’ s Small Businesses by Danielle Anderson
When disasters occur , officials focus primarily on the safety and well-being of human life , ensuring the most basic necessities of survival are met through their emergency preparedness plans . Post-disaster , communities are mobilizing to rapidly return essential businesses to operation . Corporations with resiliency plans have protocols in place that ensure this can happen quickly and efficiently , but what about the small business community ?
According to FEMA , the Federal Emergency Management Agency , a staggering 40 % of businesses do not reopen after a disaster , and 25 % will fail within the first year . According to the U . S . Small Business Administration , 90 % will fail within two years of being struck by a disaster .
With these kinds of statistics , what can and should a business do beforehand to give themselves a better chance of survival ?
Assess Your Business , Create a Plan
Having a continuity plan can be the difference between reopening or closing your company ’ s doors forever .
In partnership with the state and local municipalities , the Northeast Florida Regional Council ( NEFRC ) offers Resiliency Continuity Workshops to help small business owners prepare for disasters , using the Federal Emergency Management Agency ’ s Toolkit as a template for planning :
https :// www . ready . gov / business-continuity-plan .
Not just at the local level , in preparation for a disaster , planning takes place at the macro level to sustain a region or state ’ s economic vitality .
In response to the unprecedented global pandemic , the Northeast Florida COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan was created in May 2021 , with a focus area on small business relief , said Margo Moehring , executive director for the Regional Community Institute of Northeast Florida , Inc .
“ This approach was , in turn , incorporated into the Northeast Florida Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2022- 2027 , which guides Northeast Florida as an EDA-designated economic development district ,” she said .
Government agencies also work to help strengthen communities against natural disasters before they occur .
Flagler , Clay , Putnam and St . Johns counties , along with the municipalities of Orange Park , Neptune Beach , Jacksonville Beach , Jacksonville , Flagler Beach , Fernandina Beach and the City of St . Augustine , are currently working on Vulnerability Assessments in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection ’ s Resilient Florida program .
“ Flagler County is currently in the process of developing a work plan for its Vulnerability Assessment . I think after that is complete , we will have a better idea of what annual checkups may be needed to improve resiliency and continuity ,” said NEFRC Regional Resiliency Manager Fara Ilami .
Responsible Business Ownership Includes Checkups
At the ground level , it ’ s more than just developing a continuity plan that will help a business recover more quickly , according to Margaret Cirrilo , senior small business consultant ( St . Johns County ) for the Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida .
Since the pandemic started , the SBDC at UNF has spent 8,313 hours helping more than 550 clients capture almost $ 4.5M in capital and experts say keeping records and plans current is critical when it ’ s time to execute .
“ Businesses need to regularly backup their recordkeeping and financial files , update their business continuity plan to be able to quickly pivot in times of turmoil and ensure their employees ’ morale and productivity ,” recommends Cirrilo .
Working closely with seasoned business owners and newly established operators to access relief funding after the hurricanes and COVID presented challenges for those unprepared , said Cirrilo .
“ If the business had its continuity plan and financials in order , they were better able to weather the storm , regardless of the age of the business . Depending on the type of funding - state or federal , it was difficult for anyone who was not prepared with updated records , in addition to the volume of requests ,” she said .
Margaret Cirrilo
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