Business Security Starts with a Plan
National Preparedness Month the time for Georgia businesses to get ready
What will local businesses do if disaster strikes?
According to the most recent AT&T Business Continuity Study, only one in five companies can answer that question. In addition, more than half of companies that experience disaster shut down within two years, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To improve those numbers in Georgia, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) offers the “Ready Your Business Guide,” available through GEMA’s preparedness campaign Ready Georgia. Customized for small to medium-sized businesses, the guide helps organizations develop a continuity plan to ensure a quick recovery in the event of aterrorist attack, a tornado, a fire or a flood.
“Our state‘s economy is more secure when local businesses are ready to survive and recover,” said Charley English,director of GEMA/Homeland Security. “Customers, investors and suppliers take businesses more seriously when they have a strong contingency plan, and here in Georgia, businesses are susceptible to a myriad of natural and manmade threats.”
The “Ready Your Business Guide” outlines the 12-point program to business continuity planning. Organizations can download the guide at ready.ga.gov/Your-Business to create a planning team, complete a vulnerability assessment, access a workplace Ready kit checklist of emergency supplies and get other critical information on data protection, storage and recovery.
GEMA is also asking Georgia businesses to join Ready Georgia as National Preparedness Month Coalition members. This September marks the seventh annual National Preparedness Month, a nationwide effort encouraging individuals, families, businesses and communities to work together and take action to prepare for emergencies.
“National Preparedness Month gives organizations throughout the state the perfect opportunity to look at their continuity plans and see what they can do to better protect their investment,” said English.
National Preparedness Month Coalition membership is open to all public and private sector organizations, and registration is available at ready.adcouncil.org through September. Throughout the month, businesses are encouraged to host preparedness activities, distribute preparedness information to employees and stakeholders, review and practice contingency plans with employees and encourage them to plan at home.
Ready Georgia offers an online toolkit that any employer can use to access resources that will help spread the word about getting prepared. For more information on emergency preparedness or to download the “Ready Your Business Guide,” visit ready.ga.gov.
# # #
About Ready Georgia
Ready Georgia is a statewide campaign designed to educate and empower Georgians to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, pandemic outbreaks, potential terrorist attacks and other large-scale emergencies. The campaign is a project of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and provides a local dimension to Ready America, a broader national campaign. Ready Georgia aims to prepare citizens for maintaining self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours following an emergency, and uses an interactive Web site, online community toolkit, broadcast and print advertising and public awareness media messaging to reach its audiences. Ready Georgia is also on Facebook and YouTube.
