You can protect against theft, and you can protect against scams- but you can’t protect your business from natural disasters. Fires, floods, and earthquakes caused by bad weather can cause serious devastation- in fact, weather causes around 95% of catastrophes according to data from reinsurer Munich Re. If your business has been hit you might be wondering what you can do next. Try to keep calm, and consider the following:

Use Backup Power

After a natural disaster, the power might be down for some time. You don’t want to be fumbling around in the dark especially when it could potentially be dangerous. Companies that provide event generator rental are also useful in times like this, powered by diesel it doesn't matter if the mains are out you will still get power. If you don’t have your own backup generator then check out local companies near you who offer this service. It’s far more effective than trying to use torches. 

See What Can Be Salvaged or Repaired

You will want to look around and see what can be salvaged. When it comes to computers, some of the parts may be able to be recycled for money or used elsewhere. In the case of flooding, some items might be ok once they’ve fully dried out. Salvage what you can and find out what can be repaired, it will be far cheaper than replacing everything. You might get lucky and realize there’s more that can be saved than you expected. When it comes to things like paper files you could be in trouble. In future, switching to cloud based backup means that whatever happens to your device the data is online stored away safely. If you’re the kind of business that has stock, you could ensure that you’re not keeping too much on site at any one time. That way, should a disaster happen you don’t lose out so badly.

Speak to Insurance

Your first step with insurance is to make sure you’re actually covered for natural disasters. Its something that not all policies will include so you will want to find that out first. Business interruption coverage is a crucial coverage you can add to your insurance package. This type of coverage will reimburse lost income that might have been generated during the interruption of business that follows damage to insured property by an insured peril.

Whether you run a shop, work on a construction site or run your business from an office, just about every business can be affected by a storm, fire or other natural disaster at some time whether that’s directly or indirectly. If you ensure you have the right insurances in place and do what you can to minimize damage (such as backing up to the cloud) is crucial. 

Have you ever been effected by a natural disaster when it comes to business? What steps would you recommend business owners take to minimise damage?