WHAT:

Business Continuity Planning Workshops, presented by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), will be held in St. Johns County, Fla., to assist local business owners and their representatives to prepare for operational sustainability before, during and after an emergency. During the last two hurricane seasons, St. Johns County businesses have been significantly impacted by Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irma (2017).

WHEN:

Monday, Aug. 20, 2018: 9-11 a.m. EDT and 3-5 p.m. EDT

WHERE:

St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center, 100 EOC Drive, St. Augustine, Fla.

FREE REGISTRATION:

There is no charge to attend a workshop, but advance registration is required. To register, please contact Bethany Taylor at the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce: bethany.taylor@sjcchamber.com or (904) 829-5681.

WHO:

The workshops will be led by Gail Moraton, Business Resiliency Manager, IBHS. The workshops are being underwritten by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). IEDC received a grant from the Economic Development Administration to conduct workshops in areas affected by the 2017 hurricanes. They are being offered to local businesses in conjunction with the IEDC, St. Johns County Economic Development Council, St. Johns Chamber of Commerce and the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council.

WHY:

Small businesses often put off developing a business continuity plan—and many believe they don’t even need one. This leaves them vulnerable to a host of risks that could disrupt business operations or even close their doors for good.

• Small businesses are at risk. Statistics show 1 in 4 small businesses that are forced to close due to a disaster will never reopen.
• Small businesses are located in every region of the U.S. and are vulnerable to the same risks—such as severe weather and technology disruption—that affect people and places across the country.
• Small businesses often fail to identify potential threats and underestimate the severity of a known potential threat.
• Most small businesses operate from a single location, which makes them more vulnerable than large companies, which can spread their risk across multiple regions, often with different weather risks.
• Though small businesses may not have many employees or as much equipment as larger companies, the cost of downtime is high—by one estimate, $3,000 per day of disruption.
• During stressful times, it is often difficult to remember priorities and make important decisions without advance preparation. The smaller the business, the more important it is to have a plan in place, as many do not have the luxury of supporting a complete department or even a full-time employee that can focus on disaster response.

During each two-hour business continuity workshop on Aug. 20, Gail Moraton of IBHS will:

• Review the St Johns County (SJC) Emergency Management website (focus on SJC known natural hazards, evacuation zones, how to enroll in SJC’s emergency notification system, etc.).
• Provide reasons why all businesses should have a plan.
• Offer tips on how to develop a business continuity plan.
• Introduce IBHS’ OFB-EZ Business Continuity Planning Toolkit and EZ-PREP Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning Guide.

 

To learn more about IBHS, please visit IBHS.org.