Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the BP oil spill (click on BP Spills Coffee video spoof, below – it will make you laugh … it will make you cry). According to the National Weather Service more than 240 tornadoes have been reported in the US since last Thursday. The Texas Forest Service reported that 6,061 wildfires and more than 1.8 million acres have burned since the beginning of the year, affecting both rural towns and urban areas. The Mississippi River is 6 feet over the 15-foot flood stage in downtown Davenport, Iowa at this moment.

The devastation caused by natural and man-made disasters is horrific. And the after-effects for small businesses are sometimes insurmountable. In fact, nearly 40% of all small businesses that close due to a disaster never reopen.

Creating a written disaster planning, emergency preparedness or business continuity plan (whichever you choose to call it) could mean the difference between success and failure for your company. A well-thought-out plan provides the following:

• Serves as a guide for the recovery teams.
• References and points to the location of critical data.
• Provides procedures and resources needed to assist in recovery.
• Identifies vendors and customers that must be notified in the event of a disaster.
• Assists in avoiding confusion experienced during a crisis by documenting, testing and reviewing recovery procedures.
• Identifies alternate sources for supplies, resources and locations.
• Documents storage, safeguarding and retrieval procedures for vital records.

For free downloadable disaster recovery plan templates click HERE and HERE.