“In fair weather prepare for foul.” – Thomas Fuller
Due to climate change, natural disasters are on the rise all over the world and we need to prepare for it. We may not know when natural disasters will occur but having a disaster management plan in place helps us to better survive the disaster should it hit. But how do you create a natural disaster management guide for your SME? Let’s look at how to create it.
What natural disasters are common in your area?
All of South Africa is affected by flooding especially during big storms. Drought is also a disaster which has both a direct and indirect impact on South Africans. Other types of natural disasters, we need to be aware of are wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, extreme temperatures and hurricanes or tornadoes. These disasters can be isolated to certain areas of South Africa, for example: wildfires often happen in the Western Cape and earthquakes are quite common in Gauteng.
How can you prepare for these natural disasters?
- Keep up to date: Ensure you have a weather app like Accuweather, which lets you know about the weather and also gives you advice about extreme weather predictions. If you live in an area which frequently has floods you can look on Google Flood Hub to get data about floods in your area.
- Connect with your community: Build a community around you and keep in contact with them as they may have information about natural disasters which may happen in the future.
- Keep up to date about protocols: There are different protocols for different natural disasters but if you are in an area which has a fire risk then you can check out the Cape Town website and download a pamphlet about how to keep your place fire safe. If you are in areas which experience floods, then the government’s infographic may help to inform you on what to do in case of a flood.
- Design a plan: Now that we know what natural disasters we have, we need to put a plan in place of what to do should one hit. This plan should be communicated to the employees of your business and drills should be had so that everyone is clear on what action to take should there be a natural disaster.
- Create a survival kit bag: Use this Red Cross list to create a survival kit bag that your safety employee can grab in case of an emergency.
- Establish a recovery plan: After the natural disaster has occurred we need to create a recovery plan on how we can get our business up and running in the shortest amount of time.
By following these points you will be ready to face a disaster and improvise where you need to.
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