5 Essential Steps For Strong Disaster Recovery

By Ed Kennedy, STAR Businessweek Correspondent

When a disaster strikes or is set to arrive‚ the people of the Caribbean always turn their attention to what is most important. Securing the safety of family‚ helping out friends where they can‚ and looking to do all possible to help the local community withstand the impact‚ or at least begin recovery as soon as possible after it. It’s completely right that these are the core focus.

Yet ultimately there are many other steps that can, and should be, taken to anticipate a disaster, and to ensure that the damage of a disaster is minimised. The first priority in such a situation is the preservation of life, as it’s a reality that people’s very survival can be tested by a hurricane. But beyond that, special attention must be paid to livelihood.

Ensuring you have a plan in place to withstand the disaster not only frees you to focus on the chief task of personal safety, but also increases the odds you’ll be able to return to normal life sooner, rather than later, once the worst of a natural disaster has passed.

1. Know there is help locally and globally

In generations gone by, withstanding a natural disaster would, by and large, be a local concern.

Yes, help would often come from further afield eventually, but it would take time. Time, like all resources in a disaster scenario, is always in short supply. Waiting a mere couple of days may not be a big deal usually but in a post-disaster environment is can be painstaking.

That’s why proactively thinking ahead of time about resources available to you near and far is vital. This applies whether it’s exclusively your personal affairs you need to consider, or also those of your business.

Ensuring there is an emergency cash flow stored, and that crucially you will be able to access it after a disaster has struck, is essential. Family, friends and business partners overseas can be a great resource to utilise if available to you.

2. Secure property (and then resecure!)

It’s well known that a natural disaster like a hurricane can wreak havoc on a property. That’s why doors and windows are reinforced, loose goods tied down, and sandbags and other supplies brought in to be a buffer. These strategies may help stop the worst of a disaster’s impact but will do little to stop a determined criminal intent on making the most of a terrible situation.

That’s why as well as securing property to withstand a disaster, it’s necessary to secure it in a way that deters theft. The exact scope this takes will depend on your property and its security needs. Yet it’s worth remembering that the more security you have, the easier it is to strike a deal with an insurance company for a lower premium. Speaking of insurance . . .

3. Reviewing your insurance plan

Of all the paperwork that it’s crucial to ensure is in order around the time of a natural disaster, your insurance policy is key. It’s no secret that insurance policies have a lot of fine print. Reviewing your agreement regularly is essential to ensure your police is comprehensive in its coverage. It must be kept up to date, as any assets not included in the policy won’t be covered post-disaster.

4. Waste and debris management

Whether your property emerges unscatched or sustains damage from a natural disaster, it’s all but assured the impact of a natural disaster will up-end your surroundings. Trees will fall, debris will scatter, and all of it requires clean up. Depending on the scale of the damage, you may be able to take care of it with some neighbours and a few sets of gloves.

But oftentimes professionals will be required. That’s why it’s always a good idea to get in touch with a local waste or debris management business before a hurricane or other natural disaster arrives. That way you’ll be sure to know who to reach out to when need arises.

5. Multiple channels of communication

Each of these steps are separate but share a common theme. All of them rely upon good communication with others in your local community and beyond. That’s why ensuring you maximise your communication capability before a natural disaster arrives is vital. Having two mobile phones on separate networks is a good way to diminish the risk of communication breakdown.

Beyond this, having multiple communication apps installed - from WhatsApp and Skype to Facebook Messenger and LinkedIn - is prudent to ensure you can not only communicate across multiple channels, but receive the latest news and updates. Finally, taking time to note where an internet cafe or wi-fi hotspots are ensures you have a back-up place if your personal devices fail.

SUMMARY

Nobody likes the thought of facing down a natural disaster. To many, it delivers a feeling of anguish and anxiety, as a visit to the doctor does. You feel like there is not much in your situation that can really be improved by confronting the uncomfortable scenarios that planning for a natural disaster asks you to do. Yet failing to do so will always make the situation far worse.

There’s a big difference between being a post-disaster survivor and being sustainable after a disaster. Failing to prepare and make a plan for dealing with the disaster - both before and after it has occured - can place an extra burden on people of the Caribbean.

It can make post-disaster recovery feel like a ‘second wave’ that’s almost as bad as the initial impact. That’s why personal safety should always be pursued alongside a broader plan for livelihood security. Ensuring, wherever possible, remittances have been arranged with family and friends overseas; that your home and/or business is secured to weather the storm and any other threats that may follow on from it; insuring your property so, if the worst does happen, you have a path to recovery.

It’s true that nobody can have a perfect plan to anticipate everything that could happen in a disaster. But having a plan is always better than none at all. The stronger the plan, the greater the odds for people of the Caribbean to come through a disaster, and recover quickly soon after.

Also making a plan for waste and debris management. Some properties are lucky to emerge from a disaster without a single piece of paint chipped yet more often than now, dealing with debris and damage will be required, and ensuring you’ve a line of communication throughout all this is crucial.