Are you and your business flirting with disaster?
September is National Preparedness month and several organizations, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), The Home Depot, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) want the nation ready to be safe when unexpected cataclysmic events occur.
As the nation has learned from the COVID-19 crisis, in addition to recent civil unrest in major U.S. cities, hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires, disasters and emergencies can happen to anyone at any moment.
Here are a few steps suggested by the NAHB:
- Organize Paperwork - Gather and safeguard financial, business information, insurance, and legal documents.
- Secure job sites – move vehicles and equipment to safe locations, ensure materials are not exposed.
- Clear debris – remove excess building materials, tree limbs, shrubbery and anything that can burn or become airborne.
- Flood-proof homes and businesses – elevate structures and/or mechanicals, protect doorways and other entrances.
- Secure items that could shake loose – anchor shelving and furniture, place heavy items on the floor, secure cabinet doors.
The same actions that are taken by households and individuals can be applied to a business and local home builders association (HBA). Engaging in preparedness conversations at the organizational level and taking proactive preparedness steps can help members and HBAs ensure they are well-positioned to weather future events, the NAHB said.
According to estimates from the Small Business Administration (SBA), about 40% of small businesses will not reopen after a disaster; 25% more will close within one year; and 75% of businesses without continuity planning will fail within three years of a disaster.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released the results from its 2020 National Household Survey (NHS), which assesses the nation’s progress in building a culture of preparedness. (The full survey is available here.)
Findings from the 2020 NHS show that, of the more than 5,000 respondents:
- Over 68% have set aside money for an emergency.
- Only 48% have an emergency plan.
- Nearly 65% report seeking preparedness information.
- About 40% do not consider themselves prepared but intend to prepare.
- About 47% believe that preparing for a disaster can help, and they express confidence in their ability to prepare.
Overall, results from the 2020 NHS suggest 68% of participants took three or more of the surveyed preparedness actions — a 6% increase from 2019. Further analysis of the study, which has been conducted annually since 2013, suggests:
- The percentage of the adult population that have no intent to prepare has decreased substantially since 2013 (21% in 2013 vs. 9% in 2020).
- The percentage of the adult population that is not prepared but understands the importance of preparing and intends to do so within the next year has increased by 12 percentage points since 2013 (28% in 2013 vs. 40% in 2020), supporting the notion that there is an increased social awareness of the importance of preparing.
The Home Depot has introduced a Hurricane & Storm Preparedness Livestream Workshop led by expert associates to help residents in storm-prone regions prepare and protect their families and homes for hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. The new digital workshop will cover the essentials for staying safe and preparing one's family and home, including a resource checklist and helpful tips to minimize home damage leading up to and following any type of storm.
The workshop arrives in a year when the National National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a record-high number of potential hurricanes through November.
"We hope this season is calmer than expected, but there is no more important time for us to support our customers and communities than during natural disasters – now with tips through our expanded digital tools," said Hector Padilla, president of The Home Depot's southern division. "Through these livestream workshops, The Home Depot experts – who themselves have lived in disaster-prone regions – will share their firsthand tips on preparing for storms and staying safe before and after disasters strike."
The first workshop will livestream beginning on Sept. 14, with a new broadcast airing weekly through the end of November. Registration is available here. Additionally, The Home Depot has put together tips about hurricane preparedness and a safety checklist here.
To date in 2020, The Home Depot Foundation has committed $4 million to disaster response in areas impacted by tornadoes, wildfires and hurricanes.