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Disaster Recovery Plans Important to Have

The 2005 hurricane season began with history-making statistics showing a record-breaking four tropical storms forming before July 5th and now the first hurricane of the season threatening to be a Category 3 bearing down upon the coastal United States. With the memories still vivid of last years four major hurricanes striking Florida, many are fearful that this is a sign of another active and deadly year.

If you own a home-based business, you face unique challenges. Not only is your home at risk, but your business is as well. In fact, the June 27th issue of the Sun Sentinel Newspaper in a column by Robyn Friedman, states: The impact of a disasters, such as hurricanes, can be staggering to a small business. According to the Financial Planning Association, 40 percent of all businesses hit by a natural disaster fail to reopen, and 25 percent that reopen close within a year. That",s why complete and early preparation for disasters, whether hurricanes, fires, earthquakes or floods is essential for the survival of a small business.

The article further quoted Carol Chastang, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Washington D.C. as saying, "Small business are particularly vulnerable because they don`t have the resources of a larger company. The sooner a small business owner prepares, the more ready he or she will be when disaster hits."