Insurers across the world have been paying out vast amounts of money in compensation for the disasters that have impacted business. However, if there is no system to ensure a business survives there is a strong risk that they’ll go down the plughole.

One major issue is not having evidence of outstanding invoices. Without the paperwork you won’t be able to collect the money you’re due.

Another is trying to get new broadband and phones installed. Have you any idea how long your supplier is going to take to install your links and those of anyone else who’s been affected? And who gets worked on first? You guessed it, the large companies who spend the most with that telecoms company?

And then again, even more fundamental – where do you relocate your shop, hotel, office or manufacturing plant?

These are questions that should be asked before any disaster. That gives you the opportunity to continue trading and maybe take the business from others who go to the wall who weren’t prepared.

One other thought…

Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Everyone who lost their business because they weren’t prepared felt that way!

Certain types of business are more at risk from flooding than others.

Historically retailers have always been located where communications meet. As well as roads that also often means rivers and fords across rivers. Which also means there are a large number of retailers located in built up areas, near to rivers. They can have a lot of stock on display on the ground floors. Often extremely effective use is made of the space. Then floods and flood damage can wipe out stock completely. In particular periods of the year when retailers have high stock levels are the riskiest – for example Christmas and New Year Sales.

Warehouses with full stockrooms may be unable to move floor-based stock above the floor, or may only be able to raise it to a pallet level. That means floor-based stock is likely to be a write-off.

Businesses that are heavily reliant on computer technology infrastructure, such as IT companies, are in danger of having their electrical and networking cable destroyed by flood.

Web based businesses are also at risk if the server farm where there business is based has a flood as they are unlikely to know about it unless their web site goes down. 

Moyra Franklin, CEO, of Bombox the Disaster Recovery specialists is known as The Disaster Magnet because she’s been involved with a number of major incidents. Though to be fair she and the major law firm she was practice manager for emerged unscathed from Manchester’s terrorist bomb in 1996.

And the reason the firm could resume trading almost immediately was because of the disaster preparedness that Moyra put into the firm’s staff.

And it was all down to her carefully working out step by step the risks the company faced from all sorts of disaster, including bombs that made disaster recovery so immediate.

And the result was that Moyra came up with the "Box and Bag" concept. That is your Bombox box to hold important items and documents required to continue operations and a Grab Bag to "grab" as you are evacuated from the office. One member of staff is designated to take the bag and its contents are there to help you safely through the next hour.