The Rio Grande Valley dodged a bullet last year as Hurricane Harvey made its way up the Texas Gulf Coast, where it left a trail of damage and flooding from Corpus Christi to Houston and beyond. Record-breaking rainfall left southeast Texas besieged by deep water that trapped people in their homes and made it next to impossible for businesses to operate.
Every year as hurricane season starts in June, Valley residents ask: Will this be the year we get a big storm? The last significant hurricane to rake Deep South Texas was Hurricane Dolly in 2008. And every year emergency management specialists hammer home the importance of being prepared. For businesses, good preparation can make the difference in whether they can continue to serve customers or not.
“What we want businesses to do is make a plan,” said Nathaniel Flores, Cameron County emergency management planner. “They need a plan that establishes what are the threats and how they can respond to those threats, the things they can do to try to protect the continuity of their business. We want them to become informed now, not during the middle of a storm.”
The Cameron County Emergency Management website offers a wealth of information on how to prepare for a hurricane. Much of the message is the same for businesses as it is for residents in terms of having plenty of food, water and medical supplies like a first-aid kit and prescription medications; knowing evacuation routes; and a plan to secure your property from wind and water damage. A Federal Emergency Management Agency document that talks specifically about storm preparedness for businesses is also available on the website and includes the following topics among others.
Continuity planning: Assess how your company functions, both internally and externally, to determine which staff, materials, procedures and equipment are absolutely necessary to keep the business operating.
Emergency planning for employees: Two-way communication is central before, during and after a disaster. Include emergency preparedness information in newsletters, on company intranet and emails. Have a printed list of employees with contact information in the event a power loss makes it impossible to retrieve that information at critical times.
Important records: Keep copies of records such as site maps, building plans, insurance policies, bank account records, supplier and shipping contact lists, computer backups and other priority documents in a waterproof, fireproof portable container. Store a second set of records at an off-site location.
Coordinate with others: Meet with other businesses in your building or industrial complex. Plan to conduct evacuation drills and other emergency exercises together. Plan with your supplies, shippers and others you regularly do business with.
Communication between management and employees is critical during an emergency, Flores said. He suggested that businesses designate a point of contact for all staff. “This should be the go-to point of contact. This is one person we can all reach out to.” It’s also a good idea to have a contact out of the area for times when cell phone systems are overloaded in the disaster area. “Sometimes calls cannot go through within an area but if you call outside the area the call might go through,” Flores said. “You also want to have a designated meeting point. If you can’t get to your business, where would you meet within or outside of the city?”
As long as there is internet access, businesses can plan to use social media and company websites as a vehicle to communicate not only with employees, but with customers regarding whether the business is open and during what hours, Flores said.
A major impediment to operating a business in the wake of a big storm typically is the loss of power, and in some cases for extended periods of time. “If you know you might lose access to electricity but you still need to get the work done, you still need to be able to function, so maybe consider having a backup generator or making sure your fleet is fueled up and having extra gasoline,” Flores said.