Source 1: Are you ready. . . when disaster strikes?, (Wisconsin Real Estate Magazine, Sept. 2005).
Source 2: Ann Guiberson, President / CEO, Pinellas Realtor® Organization, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Source 3: FoxNews
Source 4: Winter 2006 Real Estate LEADER "For the Tech of It" Column by Mike Delamater

Office Disaster Plan Elements

Evacuation Plan
Emergency Kit
Emergency Contact List
Shelter
Business Continuity Plan
Safeguarding Assets and Information
Safety Training and Equipment

Ann Guiberson, President / CEO of Pinellas Realtor® Organization, came up with these 14 steps to protecting your business:

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS

1. First, know where your insurance policies are located. Make it a point to review your coverage now to determine what deductibles and exclusions apply to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Also review your building values in the event you have to replace or repair due to structural damage.
2. Protect your documents from water damage. Water can enter your building in a variety of ways. Water damage in Hurricane Charley caused extensive damage to the interior of buildings when most ceiling tiles fell to the floor.
3. Cover all office equipment and machinery and remove computer units from the floor in the offices. Perform a back up on disk of all your data on your computers and store it off-site.
4. Flying debris caused huge damage – minimize this hazard by removing debris from the outside of your building. Store any outside furniture and decorative items that can be removed. Bring flower pots inside.
5. Get cell phone numbers and land line numbers of all employees and independent contractors so you can check on them following a storm. Since communications systems may be completely destroyed, set a time and date to assemble at a safe area (which may or may not be your office). Contacting your employees will give you an opportunity to assess damage to their homes and determine who will be available to clean up at your office, if necessary. Insurers may reimburse for employees who help with debris removal after a natural disaster.
6. Be aware of your responsibility to mitigate damages following a natural disaster – your insurers require you to be able to secure your premises and prevent further damage from wind and rain following a major storm.
7. In order to minimize your downtime and provide a safe haven for your employees, develop a source list for the following:
   • Water and ice – think big. You will need and lot of ice and water and a way to store it.
   • Generators. – they are a life saver – they will help you restore some power. Finding a generator after a storm is difficult, if not impossible, so plan ahead and have one or more before the storm hits.
   • Gas and chainsaws – great to remove downed trees and limbs.
   • Portable bathrooms for those involved in clean up. There may be no electricity or water for extended periods. FEMA has instructions on how to make a temporary bathroom.
8. Line up the following service providers:
   • area contractors who could provide temporary cover for damaged roof areas an electrician who can connect a generator into your office
   • a source for mobile trailers/homes or other mobile units that can serve as an office and/or housing
   • security for your office during non-working hours after the storm a contractor to dry out your office with drying equipment and dehumidifiers
   • additional dumpsters for clean up
   • bobcat and front end loaders for removing debris
9. Designate teams to help employees at their homes.
10. Designate someone to feed your employees.
11. Take digital photos before and after the storm so you can reconstruct your losses.
12. If you use bottled water dispensers, have plenty of fresh water on hand and a generator to be able to use it.
13. Most report tremendous problems locating skilled labor to repair damaged roofs and other structural work. Supplies may also not be readily available. It is important to identify alternate sources ahead of time.
14. Most of the deaths due to hurricanes occur after the storm. Many are because of downed power lines. You need to use extreme caution when going outdoors after a storm. If lines are down, stay away. When returning to your home (if you evacuated), use caution. Don't stand in water when you turn power back on or appliances.

Back up your data

Data backup is probably the most important thing you forget to do. And as Hurricane Katrina taught us, data backup is invaluable. With today’s technology and broadband internet access, off-site data storage is very convenient and affordable.

There are basically three ways you can backup large amounts of data off-site:

1. Burn DVDs on a regular basis – big hassle, and expensive to get it up and running. Then you get to carry all those disks home and find a place to store them all. Then you still need software to run the backups.
2. Buy an external hard drive (make that two) - again, expensive and a hassle. Why two? So you can have one hooked up at all times, and keep a backup off-site. Then you still need software to run the backups.
3. Online data backup – This just might be your best option. There are several resources online for data storage. Some are just for storing data, some allow you to share documents with co-workers and some have all kinds of options for the busy REALTOR®. While this is by no means an endorsement, here’s some information on some of the top vendors below:

iBackup (http://www.ibackup.com) has many features a busy office might need:

• iBackup for Windows is a smart backup scheduling application which you can use to schedule automatic backups. Features include fast drag-n-drop, encryption, mirroring, incremental backups and filters to exclude files/folders from backup.
• iDrive – Using iDrive, you can make your iBackup account look like another hard drive on your system, allowing you to easily drag and drop files from your desktop to your iBackup account or edit the files directly.
• Web-Manager, Collaborate, WebFolders and FTP round out this system.

Xdrive (http://www.xdrive.com) – is perhaps the most trusted provider of secure online storage. Features include:

• 5GB to unlimited gigabytes of online storage.
• Accessible from any web browser.
• Easy, efficient file sharing.
• Protect critical data from crashes and viruses.
• The best solution for storing and sharing online.
• Risk Free Trial. No commitment. Cancel anytime.

FOX News Hurricane Preparedness for Business Articles:

Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses Part One: Disaster Recovery Planning
Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses Part Two: Protecting Your People
Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses Part Three: Protecting Your Data
Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses Part Four: Investing in Disaster Planning
Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses Part Five: How to Create a Disaster Recovery Plan