Gulf hurricanes...Mississippi floods...West Coast earthquakes...Northeast blizzards...Midwest tornados....
We like to think it will not happen to us, but the ravages of Mother Nature are unpredictable. The reality is that at some point there comes a time when you may not be able to continue with business as usual, whether because of nature or the aftereffects.
What would you need to operate your business offsite for a few days or a few weeks? I was put to the test during Hurrican Ike in Houston. As it was advancing, I did not know if I would have to evacuate and head to Dallas to stay with family. If yes, I might end up being away for a couple of weeks because of damage and restrictions on returning.
I prepared a checklist of equipment to have ready, regardless of whether it was an evacuation or staying at home with limited services. My selection:
- Laptop, synced from my desktop PC
- Air card for internet access
- Mobile printer
- Cell phone
- Small voltage converter for automobile use
- Chargers for phone, printer, and laptop
- Battery-powered radio
- Full tank of gas
What actually happened to us during the hurricane was that we escaped sustained damage from the winds and floods. We were not in the evacuation zone. However we had TWO WEEKS with NO ELECTRICITY.
During this two-week period, the air card, tied to our cell phone account, and the radio gave us access to strom updates. Later the air card allowed me to monitor email, with the small voltage converter recharging the laptop battery by running it inside my car.
Instead of waiting until an emergency is pending, make a checklist now. In addition to physical items that you would want, think about important business documents. Would these papers be accessible if your building were damaged or water came into your office? Consider scanning your official documents and putting them into a password-protected folder on your computer. Using a reputable automatic online backup such as Mozy (www.mozy.com) or Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) would also give you access to your documents from someone else's computer.
At the same time, what would you need personally? The Red Cross recommends that you keep originals of important documents in a safe deposit box and bring copies with you. You could also have these copies scanned into your computer ahead of time so that you do not overlook anything in a last-minute rush.
Start now to collect records in the following categories:
- Identification: birth, death, marriage, divorce, custody, and military records; passports, social security cards, drivers' licenses, medical notes
- Financial: mortgages, deeds, credit cards, investments, insurance, car titles, tas records
I challenge you to make a list now for both business and personal categories. When a event is looming, stress can interfere with focused thought, and being prepared in advance gives you the security of knowing you have covered all the details.
If you would like to jumpstart your organizing efforts and
add to your time management skills, we can help!
Corporate Training: workshops and consulting to
increase daily work flow and reduce stress
Individual Assistance: our onsite and virtual office
organizing to bring about changes quickly
On Your Own: books and CDs to work at your
own pace
