Greater Wilmington Business Journal

SPONSORED CONTENT BY DAVID DEAN

he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the U.S. is struck by an average of three hurricanes over a typical two-year period, one of which is classified as a major hurricane with winds of 111 mph or greater. Hurricane Florence’s top winds hit 150 mph, but weakened to 90 mph when it made landfall at Wrightsville Beach. Just last month, the National Hurricane Center published its final report on the storm detailing rainfall totals of 10-30 inches and storm surge of 5-8 feet above ground level here at the coast. Although not technically a “major” hurricane by wind standards, Flo did her worst in the Cape Fear region, disrupting lives and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage to homes and businesses. When disasters like Hurricane Florence strike, the sooner a business can get back up to speed the earlier it can begin helping residents - either directly through providing services or by ensuring continuity of income to local employees - while keeping customer retention high and revenue loss low.

MAKE A PLAN Statistics show that between 40-60 percent of small businesses never reopen after a disaster, with a high percentage of them failing if they cannot open within five days. One way to avoid such pitfalls is to plan for disasters in advance, something of special significance with the unique challenges faced by local businesses and governments during and after Flo. “In terms of Florence specifically she was a pretty weird lady; she was coming in strong and pumped the brakes and stayed for a while,” said Kate Oelslager, Communications and Outreach Coordinator for New Hanover County, which is still operating an active Hurricane Florence Recovery Coordination Office some eight months after the storm. “Our business leaders have a lot to balance when it comes to disaster preparation,” Oelslager said, pointing to businesses needing to determine whether or not they provide essential services and then balancing how long to stay open versus protecting the safety of employees and

customers. Other important considerations include protecting facilities and physical assets; maintaining a business brand and reputation by minimizing or avoiding customer service interruptions; and protecting important electronic systems and data.

“A lot of times it kind of slips people’s minds that they need to prepare their business just like they prepare their home.” - Audrey Hart, New Hanover Disaster Coalition

New Hanover County is populating the online resource ReadyNHC.com with information to help businesses develop plans to deal with disasters. A plethora of additional helpful resources are available from ReadyNC.gov and a host of organizations and government agencies like the Small

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