After the disaster...

We plan and plan for mitigating and dealing with a disaster, but oftentimes we don't plan enough for what we will do afterwards. Do we reopen? How can we deal with employee stress after an incident? Is cleanup an issue? This week's articles shed light on the recovery process... read on.

Recovering from a disaster requires help from all stakeholders. (Item #1)   Here's information to help small business owners make post-disaster business decisions. (Item #2)   Emotions can run high after a disaster. (Item #3)  

How do you pull together after a shooting? (Item #4)   What steps do you take after a natural disaster? (Item #5)   Determining the financial health of your business is critical to the decision to reopen or not after a disaster. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Tips for Resuming Business Operations after a Disaster

In the wake of a disaster, there are a number of steps you must take to resume business operations quickly. A return to normalcy requires collaboration among employees, suppliers, vendors, customers, insurance companies, insurance agents and brokers, government agencies and financial institutions, to name a few.
http://www.chubb.com/businesses/cci/chubb1073.pdf

2. After the Disaster... What Should I Do Now?

Unless the business owner makes good decisions about recovery, the largest losses to the business come in the years after disaster and not from the direct damage of the disaster itself. It is possible, if an owner takes the right steps, to not only survive a major natural disaster, but to achieve real business viability in the post-event environment.
http://www.hrsbdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/AftertheDisaster.pdf

3. Emotional Reactions to Disasters

A natural disaster often causes more than property damage. It also brings a flood of emotions. How people deal with these emotional reactions may affect their recovery afterwards.
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/disaster/facts/emotion.cfm

4. Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting

You may be struggling to understand how a shooting could occur and why such a terrible thing would happen. There may never be satisfactory answers to these questions. We do know, though, that it is typical for people to experience a variety of emotions following such a traumatic event. These feelings can include shock, sorrow, numbness, fear, anger, disillusionment, grief and others. You may find that you have trouble sleeping, concentrating, eating or remembering even simple tasks. This is common and should pass after a while. Over time, the caring support of family and friends can help to lessen the emotional impact and ultimately make the changes brought about by the tragedy more manageable.
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx

5. What your business should do after a natural disaster

A natural disaster can affect your business in many ways. Your employees, customers, competitors and the local community may also have been significantly affected by the natural disaster. This guide explains the practical steps you can take to get your business back on track after a natural disaster.
http://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/disaster-resilence-and-recovery/business-natural-disaster

6. Checklist for Re-Opening Your Business after a Disaster

Following a disaster, the immediate reaction of many business owners is to reopen their business as soon as possible. However, a post disaster environment is anything but 'business as usual' for you, your employees, key suppliers and customers. It may therefore be prudent to reflect on your options before considering reopening.
http://ksbdc.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/03/KSBDC-Checklist-Reopening-After-A-Disaster.pdf