FEMA Blog

Posted by: Dan Stoneking, Director, Private Sector

Many of my fellow bloggers emphasize the importance of individuals getting prepared before disaster strikes. The three simple steps we stress – get a kit, make a plan, be informed – can help not only individuals, but also businesses get ready for an emergency.

Up to 40% of businesses affected by a natural or man-made disaster never reopen, according to the Insurance Information Institute. We think this percentage is much too high, which is why we wanted to remind you of some tools that businesses can use to get prepared for emergencies:

• Ready Business – complete with tips and tools for human resource managers, business continuity professionals, or business owners looking to get prepared for emergency. There is also a page with downloadable brochures, checklists, videos, and advertisements to promote preparedness at your business.
• American Red Cross Ready Rating Program – a free, self-paced program designed to help businesses, organizations and schools become better prepared for emergencies. When you join and become a member, you'll complete a 123-point self assessment of your level of preparedness, gain access to tips and best practices information, and commit to improving your score each year to maintain membership. (FEMA does not endorse any non-Federal Government organizations, entities, or services.)

We encourage you to share these resources with a human resources professional, business continuity professionals, or your manager at your workplace. Businesses and the entire private sector are an important part of the emergency management team, so we will continue to work closely with them to strengthen our nation’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

Other links
Here are some recent blog posts highlighting our ongoing collaboration with the private sector:

• Connecting the Private Sector to Emergency Response
• Perspective on the National Level Exercise: Amtrak