Could Your Business Withstand a Superstorm?

From Drew Greenblatt’s latest column in Inc. magazine about planning ahead in business for storm like Sandy:

After Superstorm Sandy ravaged the Northeast, forcing thousands from their homes and businesses, I recalled what a fellow business owner and friend endured in Nashville in 2010. A freak weekend storm dumped more than a foot of rain, swelled the Cumberland River to 500-year highs--500 years!--and inflicted paralyzing damage across the city, even flooding the Grand Ole Opry. That storm changed the way this business owner thought about risk forever. “We clearly think about it differently,” says my friend, Steven Rollins, recalling the six feet of water that surged into his 78-year-old, third-generation wire products company. “Until a tragedy or a life-changing event affects you in a personal way, [disaster planning] doesn't seem to be a situation that merits your time and attention. I'm here to tell you, planning for risks that your business faces really does matter. ...

"It's like the quote everyone has heard that is very true, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail,’” he adds. “There's no better American story than a company and individuals overcoming adversity. When things were at their worst, we were ready and many of our people showed us their best.” Read more ...