As we head into the spring season, businesses need to prepare for potential weather-related crises. This may include anything from severe storms and flooding to tornado or hurricane damage. If your business is not prepared when severe weather hits, you will face major disruptions that can lead to lost revenue. In this blog post, we outline how businesses can develop communication plans that will help them weather any type of crisis situation.
The first step in preparing for a weather-related crisis is to identify the risks that mother nature poses to your business. These risks vary depending on the location of your business, but some common risks include severe storms, flooding, and hurricanes.
Secondarily, you need to also think about how each type of inclement weather could impact your business. For example, some common results of severe weather include:
- Burst pipes
- Closing of facilities
- Accident/injury/death
- Power outages for your business and/or for your remote workers
Once you have identified the risks, you need to develop plans for how you relay information to your employees, customers, and other stakeholders in the event of a crisis.
Your communication plan should include information on who will be responsible for sending updates, how often updates will be sent, and what channels will be used to communicate (e.g., email, text message, phone call). It’s also important to have a backup plan in place in case your primary method of communication fails.
Consider how much time you spent reacting to previous weather incidents because you didn’t have a crisis communication strategy in place then work with your team to identify potential scenarios and any gaps in the people, process and technology your business has in place. Take this moment to prepare now so you are not taken by surprise and more importantly, your customers aren’t taken by surprise.
The best way to prepare for a weather-related crisis is to be proactive and have a plan in place before the storm hits. Remember, you have invested time and resources to build your brand. Why put it at risk? By taking the time to develop a communication plan, you can help your business weather any type of storm.
Do you have a plan in place for weather-related crises? What steps have you taken to prepare your business? If you need help getting started, reach out to our team of crisis planning experts today.
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