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Natural Disasters

Has your Business been Affected by a Natural Disaster?

Contact us at disaster@mississippisbdc.org or call us at 1-888-572-6829 for assistance and support as your business recovers. Want to be prepared for a disaster to strike? Download our business resiliency guide for proactive resiliency steps.

 

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Current SBA Disaster Relief Information

Hurricane Ida

The State of Mississippi was granted a Pre-Disaster State of Emergency Declaration. We will keep you informed as further information becomes available!

Why do you need a disaster plan?

Running a small business is hard enough without having to rebuild after a natural disaster. Many businesses all over the world make the mistake of not properly preparing for disasters and are left to suffer the costly consequences. However, small business disaster preparedness planning is easier than you might think. We scoured the internet and interviewed risk management experts to bring you the best tips and resources, so you can finally check “disaster plan” off your to-do list.

A good disaster plan means fewer days out of business, better communication with customers, and a better settlement from your insurance company. Add it all up and your plan could be the reason your small business beats the odds.

Step 1: Identify Risk

Which of these large-scale disasters is a threat to your business?

  • COVID-19
  • Hurricanes
  • Winter weather
  • Earthquakes
  • Tornadoes
  • Wildfires
  • Floods

Step 2: Develop a Plan

The goal of a disaster plan is to help ensure the well-being of your employees, the stability of your location’s environment and, last but certainly not least, your ability to keep the business running. That may mean you need a 100-page guide, or you may just need a simple series of reference sheets.

Step 3: Implement and Train

A disaster plan isn’t something you dust off when the red warning stripe comes across your TV screen. You’ll have action items as soon as your plan is complete. The idea is to identify things you can do now so you won’t have to do them in the days or hours before a natural disaster.

Step 4: Be a preparedness leader in your community

In a natural disaster, you may be at the mercy of your least-prepared neighbor. The unsecured restaurant patio umbrella that comes flying through your window or the hazardous materials that floodwaters carry into your parking lot might not be a threat if you were in charge of them, but you aren’t. And the longer your community takes to get back on its feet, the longer you’re likely to wait for business to ramp up again.

(Information above taken from business.com)

Helpful Emergency Management Links: 

 

 

 

Disaster Relief