Business insurance provides financial protection for property damaged or destroyed by a hurricane or other disaster listed in a policy. In addition to coverage for the business’s structure, it can also cover office furnishings, inventory, raw materials, machinery, computers and other items vital to business operations. Insurance can do more than protect physical assets; it may also provide operating funds during a period when a business owner is trying to get the business back on track after a catastrophic loss like a hurricane. The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) has the facts and data-driven insights to help you purchase the right coverage to protect and grow your business.

Did you know one in every four businesses that close during a disaster never reopen? Create an emergency preparedness and response plan today with EZ-PREP™ and keep your small business “open for business.” This stand-alone guide, plus a customizable checklist, can help you build a plan for responding to operational disruptions caused by severe weather. This program complements IBHS’s OFB-EZ program, which is a simple-to-use business continuity program that focuses on recovering after the initial emergency response. To be best prepared,  implement both programs to protect your businesses and bottom lines.

No matter what kind of disruption you face, IBHS’s OFB-EZ (Open for Business-EZ) toolkit can help you build a business continuity plan so you can prepare, respond and recover. The free toolkit is designed to help small businesses plan for any type of disruption so they can quickly re-open and resume operations following a disaster. The toolkit provides a roadmap for managing disruptions using simple and easy tasks, including developing an employee contact list, reviewing and documenting insurance policies, building a plan for supply chain disruptions, and better preparing your finances.