Return to business after the storm

Jacksonville, FL – Whenever I go home to see the scars left from Hurricane Helene to Treasure Island. Months later, I see slow improvements. The salt -washed windows that have been closed for months are open, but others may never come back. Some of the long-standing hotels in the region are still dark behind plywood or wrapped in scaffolding.

Hurricane has been drowned for local activities for eight months and it is remarkable to see which they have become more quickly in business than others.

I remembered the difficulties of the private sector recently while listening to the Emergency Planner of the Plantations of Amelia Island speaks to a crowd of the Nassau County Emergency Operation Center. Mr. Gregory Foster has framed things from the point of view of the company – who can help other merchants to plan in advance before the hurricane strikes.

Here is what left for me – and what Each Florida company should take seriously to the next hurricane season.

1. Logistics is everything

When Helene's floods cut access to the beach, closed power and destroyed refrigeration, it was not the rain that broke the companies – it was the lack of a backup plan. Hotels without operating CVC. Restaurants with spoiled meetings.

What I saw there aligns perfectly with what Mr. Foster returned home: if you do not have generators, supply chains and ready staff plans Before The storm, your chances of bouncing quickly are slim.

2. Insurance will not always save you

Do not assume that insurance covers you. Check if a policy requires a OBLIGATORY Evacuation to trigger payments. If a storm reaches a voluntary evacuation, some policies can leave you without help. Understand the small print. And review now, not when you are in size in flood waters.

3. People cannot work if they cannot live here

Another brutal truth: when the accommodation is destroyed or the pay checks stop, your employees disappear. In the Hurricane Irma at Big Pine Key – whole workforce has disappeared. Hotel and hotel workers were moved. Some have never returned.

Recovery is not only to correct dry partitions; This involves ensuring that people who feed your business can survive, come back and work again.

4. Know your emergency management office – before the crisis

The fastest companies are those that have close links with local emergency managers. These relationships have given them one step ahead of resources, information and coordination of responses.

5. Recovery is also mental

Note after the storm – financially, emotionally, physically – is heavier than most people think so. I had my own health setbacks trying to bring a house back to life. If I had been responsible for a company in addition to that, I do not know how I would have succeeded. This experience showed me something: business owners must think beyond the preparation of the storm – they need a recovery plan for the long term. Not only for operations, but for their mental health and the well-being of their team. Without that, the return route goes much longer.