Before the June 1 start of the six-month hurricane season, Duval County Emergency Management and City officials urged residents to have a disaster plan.
They urge business owners to do the same.
“We need to make sure businesses are planning just as citizens do,” said Capt. William Estep, emergency management interim director.
Estep said that post-disaster, businesses need to get “the economic engine back up and running.”
That means business owners need a business-continuity plan to restore operations and be as minimally impacted as possible, he said.
Estep and other officials have talked to area chambers of commerce, businesses and motel and hotel lodging owners about creating a plan, training employees and seeking reimbursement from the Small Business Administration after an emergency.
Laura D’Alisera, management planning supervisor, said one in every four businesses do not recover from a disaster.
She advises business owners to check insurance policies to cover inventory, structures and content; to have a “reunification” telephone number for employees to call for updates; and to review the structural integrity of roofing, walls and windows to ensure code compliance and protection levels.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, commonly referred to as NOAA, predicts “an active or extremely active” season.
It predicts a 70 percent likelihood of 13-20 named storms, having winds of at least 39 mph.
NOAA predicts seven-11 of those storms will become hurricanes, with winds of at least 74 mph.
It predicts three-six will become major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph.
“I always plan for the worst-case scenario. It only takes one storm to impact Duval County,” said Estep, who advises businesses and residents to visit jaxready.com for local preparedness information.
Estep said Duval County has not had a catastrophic weather event since 1964, when Hurricane Dora struck.
“Many people know what they need to do. We are seeing a lot of folks going back, brushing off their plan,” Estep said.
In the event of a disaster, D’Alisera advises business owners to call emergency management through the 630-CITY hotline to report damage assessments.
The information is used for federal assistance.
Businesses seeking financial assistance after a disaster can visit the Small Business Administration website, sba.gov.
Although the focus has been on hurricanes, Estep said businesses should prepare for any type of emergency, including prolonged Internet and power outages, floods and fires.
“Ultimately, as it relates to the business sector, they are part of the process of getting our community back up and running,” Estep said.
(904) 356-2466