How retail businesses can stay protected against natural disasters

While many businesses are always out there trying to reduce costs so they can perfectly retain their business how it is, there’s one thing that can swiftly damage a business to the point of no recovery, and that’s a natural disaster.

Now, dealing with a natural disaster is honestly everyone’s worst nightmare.

They can take lives away, your home, your livelihood, and your work; as scary as it sounds, anything and everything can easily be destroyed due to a natural disaster.  

Now, when it comes to natural disasters, a lot of individuals and business owners alike believe it’s never going to affect them; it’s just not possible. Sure, if you live somewhere like the UK, where volcanoes simply don’t exist, then that’s one type of natural disaster that you don’t have to worry about.

But it doesn’t immediately rule out everything; there are always high winds, flooding, and even a wildfire that could have the potential to cause damage to the point of no return.

So, no matter what type of retail business you have, e-commerce or bricks and mortar, you need to stay vigilant and protect your business in case a natural disaster happens.

No matter where your retail business is in the world, here’s how you can keep it protected against natural disasters.

Start off with conducting a risk assessment

It’s best to just go ahead and start by identifying the natural disaster risks that are relevant to your location.

You absolutely need to understand the potential impact of events such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or wildfires on your store, warehouse, and surrounding areas. This assessment serves as the foundation for developing a robust disaster preparedness plan.

Be realistic about what type of natural disaster could happen in your area because something very well could happen.

You need to make a plan

In order to really keep your business protected against all of this, a plan needs to be put into place. Ideally, these can be both big and small things that can help.

For instance, if you live in an area that has small earthquakes (such as due to natural gas extraction), then you could get anti-vibration mounts for some of the appliances so nothing risks falling to the floor breaking.

While that was a pretty small example, you can still go bigger, such as making an in-depth plan on what could be done.

For example, if you have a storefront in a rural area that tends to be prone to wildfires, then you might want to have some guidelines and a plan put in place on how you and your staff can both protect yourselves and the business.

As the business owner, you’ll need to clearly define roles and responsibilities for your team members (assuming you have a team), establish communication protocols, and designate evacuation routes if needed.

Plus, it’s going to be a good idea to also regularly review and update this plan to ensure its effectiveness.

Invest in insurance

Seriously, not just any standard business insurance will do; your business is absolutely going to need the best of the best- especially if you’re operating your business in an area that’s prone to disasters. Ideally, it’s best to be insured against a range of natural disasters.

So go ahead and consult with an insurance professional to understand the coverage options available and select policies that best align with your business needs.

This includes coverage for property damage, business interruption, and potential inventory losses. You’re basically hurting yourself if you decide to skip out on this. This is usually one of the biggest reasons why businesses never recover from disasters, and it’s due to bad insurance.

Are you able to make infrastructure improvements?

Not every business can do this, but if you have the luxury to make changes to a building, it might be a good idea.

So, if you can, it’s going to massively help to look into infrastructure enhancements since these can fortify your retail space against potential natural disasters such as high winds or even issues down the line such as poor foundation.

Some ideas could include reinforcing windows and doors, elevating electrical systems (such as wires or outlets), or even implementing flood-resistant measures. If you can’t do this, such as due to renting, than don’t stress over this and instead look at other areas to improve your business for safety.

Back up what you can

Most retail businesses do this, but repeating it never hurts. If you haven’t already, it’s best to just go ahead and back up critical business data regularly and store it in secure, off-site locations.

Cloud-based storage solutions are definitely one of the best since these provide an added layer of protection for essential information, ensuring that even in the aftermath of a disaster, you can access crucial data needed for business continuity.  

A lot of IT outsourced businesses tend to offer this; also, if you’re using certain websites for your online store or inventory, then there’s usually cloud-based storage attached to those services, but with everything you have, always try to keep two to three backups in different areas (such as external hard drive, cloud, ect).

Conduct regular drills

All industries and businesses need to conduct drills, and a couple of drills per year for the employees are definitely going to be for the best.

Cross-training employees provides flexibility during emergencies, allowing your team to adapt to unexpected situations and maintain essential operations. You want your team to be safe and have as few injuries as possible, and this is honestly the best way to do it.

Establish emergency protocol

Just as drills have a major importance, so does having some sort of a protocol. So, it’s best to have clear communication that will be realistic in case of a natural disaster.

This includes establishing a chain of command, utilising communication apps (something like WhatsApp, for example), and setting up alternative methods of contact in case traditional means fail.

Is this too much for a business to do? Honestly, no, it doesn’t matter if it’s a retail business or not; all businesses need to have some sort of way of protecting themselves, their team, and their business in case an unexpected natural diaster hits.

You’re never going overboard if you’re focusing on safety because who knows when you will have to implement your plan?