Northland's tsunami sirens, including this one at Ngunguru, are tested each year when daylight saving changes. Photo/File
Northland's tsunami sirens, including this one at Ngunguru, are tested each year when daylight saving changes. Photo/File
With the recent switch to daylight saving, and the opportunity for Civil Defence to test the coastal tsunami warning systems, we were reminded that no region in New Zealand is exempt from major natural disaster events whether they be seismic, meteorological or some other form.
Civil Defence does some amazingthings in the country, not only helping people when natural disasters strike but also by raising the awareness of the need to be prepared in advance for such emergencies.
It's not uncommon for households to make plans for dealing with times of natural disasters until normal services can be resumed. However, I'm not so sure that this is always the case with businesses.
The fact is that often a small business' chance of surviving a major natural disaster will depend more on what they do before the disaster strikes than after. When was the last time you asked yourself the question, "is my business prepared for a disaster, and do I have business continuity plan?"
The first thing to consider is what type of disaster is most likely where your business is located, for instance in Northland it is much more likely to be a weather event than an earthquake. Knowing what events are likely to happen allows you to analyse what the impacts will be to your business, and what period of time you may have to function without regular premises or access to infrastructure and customers.
The next questions to ask, if an event occurs, are, "how do I ensure my staff are OK, can I access my premises, do I have power, do I have IT, is my stock damaged, can my suppliers get goods to me, and most importantly, can I give service to my customers?"
The answers to these questions will allow you to build a plan, and it may be as simple as being aware of forecasted weather events and having a communication plan with staff. It may be having alternate premises, infrastructure and customer service options.
Whatever extent it is, the critical part is that it is well tested in advance, and preferably at least annually, to ensure that if disaster strikes you have the peace of mind that you can continue to operate safely and with a minimum of disruption to your customers.
