Hurricane Season 2009 What Businesses Need to Know

Photo courtesy of NOAA/NASA

4,052(10%) in Evac. Level A

3,400 (8%) in Evac. Level B

3,606(9%) in Evac. Level C

4,588(11%) in Evac. Level D

2,435(6%) in Evac. Level E

18,081(44%) of all companies Pinellas Companies are in

evacuation zones

Source: InfoUSA

Pinellas Companies in Evacuation Zones

45,745(10%) in Evac. Level A51,328(11%) in Evac. Level B47,819(11%) in Evac. Level C55,313(12%) in Evac. Level D33,498(7%) in Evac. Level E

233,703(52%) of all employees working within Pinellas are in an Evacuation Zone

Employees in Evacuation Zones

Storm Preparation

Photo courtesy of NOAA/NASA

5 Things Businesses Should Do to Prepare for a Storm

1. Know your risk and know your evacuation zone. Encourage your employees to do the same.

2. Sign up for Direct Text Messages from Pinellas County’s Community or Business Notification Service.

3. Develop Business Continuity and Communication Plans

Your employees are your most valuable resource. Ensure your plans allow your staff the time necessary before, after and during the storm to secure the safety of their homes and families. Take

care of them, so that they can take care of your business.

4. Review your insurance coverage to ensure it is sufficient.

5. Establish Business to Business Emergency Partnerships and a Host Home program for employees.

Find these tips online at www.PCED.org/hurricane

Know your risk by knowing your zone

Visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency for zone and planning information.

Know your risk by Knowing your zone

Call (727) 453-3150 to input your land line phone number and get your zone.

Your zone is also on your Utility bill and your Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice.

Encourage Your Employees to Know Their Zone and Get a Plan

As an employer, you are one of the greatest influences on your staff. Ensure that they have a plan and that you know their plan and have all of their contact information. Help them get ready, so that they can help you recover.

All necessary resources and the 2009 Pinellas County Hurricane Guide are at:

www.PinellasCounty.org/emergency

All residents are encouraged to have a survival kit that will last from 5-7 days in case of a storm. A list for the kit is on the site (above).

Hurricane Watch: You could experience hurricane conditions within 24-36 hours. You should prepare to evacuate if you are in an evacuation zone.

Hurricane Warning: You should expect sustained winds of 74 mph within less than 24 hours. You need to evacuate (if you are in an evacuation zone) as soon as the Hurricane Warning is issued. Go now.

Direct Text Messages from Pinellas County

Sign up for Direct Text Messages from Pinellas County’s Community

Notification Service at 1-888-689-8905.Call 1-888-689-8905 from the device you wish to register and enter your zip code. You must be able to make calls and receive text messages from the device. Provider text-messaging charges apply and this does not work with a pre-paid cell phone.

Sign up for E-Lerts by entering your email address at www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/subscribe.htm.

Pinellas County Emergency Management offers detailed and timely business-related emergency text message information for an additional fee. If you are a Pinellas-based organization interested in the business notification service for significant weather threats or other emergencies, please contact Emergency Management at (727) 464-3800

Every business should have a business continuity plan.

Create your plan at: www.fldisasterkit.com

www.PCED.org/Hurricane for more planning tips and information.

Develop a Business Continuity Plan

40% of businesses that experience a

disaster – NEVER recover.

Peter Browne, V.P. Predictive Systems' Global Integrity

Create a Communication Plan

Have a plan for communicating with employees, key suppliers, and key customers before, during and after the storm.

Share this plan with your contacts. These resources will be essential to your business’s survival, so put them in

your “go box”.

Employee Contact Information

Have cell phone numbers, personal email addresses, and out of area contact information for every employee.

Your employees will be key to your recovery and survival, so encourage them to prepare personally and give them time before, during and after the storm to secure the safety of their families and homes.

Back Up Your Critical Data

Back up your files, including data, customer, employee and vendor lists.

Take this with you in an evacuation. By placing all of your critical documents in a “go box” ahead of time, you will be more likely to have it all when you need it.

Please stop by PCED for an Emergency Recovery Necessary Information (ERNI) Bag and Hurricane Preparation List or visit online at pced.org/hurricane for the Check List.

Photographs and Video

Inspect your building and take pictures or video of everything.

Cash and Payroll

Consider Cash. ATMs and credit card machines frequently will not work without electricity and you will need funds to operate. Consider setting aside cash in a very safe place for emergencies.

Arrange for funds to keep staff on the payroll for three weeks to one month. Again, they are the key to your business survival and recovery.

Review Insurance Coverage

Review your current insurance coverage to ensure it’s sufficient.

You should have enough coverage to rebuild based on current construction costs. An independent contractor can assist you with a precise estimate.

Be sure to take proof of coverage with you if you evacuate. Put it in your “go box”.New Orleans, Aug. 29, 2005 –

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Niemi, US Coast Guard

Business Continuity Insurance

Business owners should consider Business Income or Business Interruption and Continuity insurance, which may cover the costs to replace lost profits, payroll, operating expenses if you are shut down while repairs are being made.

Photo courtesy of NOAA

Photo courtesy of NOAA

Flood Insurance

It’s important to know that neither home nor business insurance covers flood damage from a hurricane.

Your agent can help you purchase a policy through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Photographer: Lieut. Commander Mark Moran, NOAA Corps, NMAO/AOC

Flood Insurance Rate Zones

Pinellas County’s Flood Insurance Rate Map at http://gis.pinellascounty.org/firmmaps/

Establish Business to BusinessEmergency Partnerships

There is little you can do about office space that’s been reduced to ruins. Address that potentially crippling problem by partnering with another business – a non-competitor who is willing to offer a conference room or any available space to assist you as you recover. If they’re the ones in trouble, make your space available to them.

Your local Chamber of Commerce or a professional industry organization is the best place to establish your emergency business partnership.

Establish a Host Home Program for your Company

www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/handbook/host_homes,htm

Temporary Childcare Waiver

The Pinellas County License Board for Children’s Centers and Family Day Care Homes, the agency that licenses childcare in Pinellas, has approved a waiver from licensure requirements during declared states of emergency in the county.

Waivers can be issued to places of employment including but not limited to county facilities, hospitals, and places of business to provide emergency temporary childcare in a state of emergency for Pinellas County for personnel including mandated first responders, hospital personnel, personnel essential for retailers of disaster/recovery supplies to resume operations, and other similarly essential personnel.

This emergency waiver issued before an “event” would become valid when the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners declares a state of emergency.

Agencies with employees identified as first responders and/or essential employees that must work when there is a State of Emergency effecting Pinellas County may apply for a waiver to offer emergency, temporary childcare. The waiver validates that this is legally unlicensed childcare.

For more information phone PCLB at (727) 547-5800

InformationDuring and After a Storm

Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) will serve as the Pinellas County Economic Recovery Coordinator to facilitate economic recovery within the business community following a major storm.

• As with all of our efforts, our partners will be crucial to achieving our recovery goals.

• We will work closely with Emergency Management, FEMA, SBA, our municipal partners, local libraries and our Chambers of Commerce to connect the business community to resources.

PCED’s Role in Recovery

Additional Resources During a Storm

If you have electricity and communications capabilities Tune to local television and radio Pinellas County’s websites

▪ www.pinellascounty.org & www.pced.org Phone PCED at (727) 464-7332 – There will be recordings for

businesses left on this line during an emergency. It will not be manned until it is safe to return to our office.

No electricity Local newspapers PCED and BAPs representatives via local Chambers of

Commerce, libraries and FEMA/SBA recovery locations. Text messages

Direct Text Messages from Pinellas County

Sign up for Direct Text Messages from Pinellas County’s Community Notification Service at 1-

888-689-8905.Call 1-888-689-8905 from the device you wish to register and enter your zip code. You must be able to make calls and receive text messages from the device. Provider text-messaging charges apply and this does not work with a pre-paid cell phone.

Sign up for E-Lerts by entering your email address at www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/subscribe.htm.

Pinellas County Emergency Management offers detailed and timely business-related emergency text message information for an additional fee. If you are a Pinellas-based organization interested in the business notification service for significant weather threats or other emergencies, please contact Emergency Management at (727) 464-3800

Pinellas Public Library Cooperative

The Pinellas Public Library Cooperative will share their resources to assistlocal businesses as they restart operations and begin the

recovery process following a catastrophic disaster.

Clearwater Public Libraries

Dunedin Public Library

East Lake Community Library

Gulf Beaches Public Library

Gulfport Public Library

Largo Public Library

Oldsmar Public Library

Palm Harbor Public Library

Pinellas Park Public Library

Safety Harbor Public Library

St. Pete Beach Public Library

St. Petersburg Public Library System

Seminole Community Library at SPC Seminole

Tarpon Springs Public Library

Learn more about how your public library system is there for you in an emergency and absolutely rocks our community every day at www.pplc.us. For the locations of the PPLC

Member Libraries visit: http://www.pplc.us/locations.shtml. Please consider a donation to support to our libraries, so that they can support us.

Index of Online Resources

• Business Disaster Survival Kit: www.FlDisasterKit.org

• E-Lert Email Sign Up: www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/subscribe.htm.

• Evacuation Level Look Up: http://gis.pinellascounty.org/hurricane_txt/

• Flood Zones Map: http://gis.pinellascounty.org/firmmaps/

• Host Home Program: www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/handbook/host_homes,htm

• Pinellas County Economic Development: www.PCED.org/Hurricane

• Pinellas County Emergency Management: www.PinellasCounty.org/emergency

• Pinellas Public Library Cooperative: www.PPLC.com

Questions?