Austin Chamber Of Commerce - Blog: Disaster Relief – It's More Than Storms. What's Your Plan?

Austin TX

13 September, 2021

12:31 PM

Description

Press release from the Austin Chamber of Commerce - Blog: 09/13/2021 When many people envision disaster relief, they probably picture anxiously watching the weather for a hurricane to blow across the coastline or for a snowstorm to bring a city's industry to a halt. However, disasters truly come in a variety of horrifying shapes and sizes, and they can affect anywhere from a state or region to an individual organization. In 2020, there were 22 major disaster events that caused more than $1 billion in damage each; with total estimated disaster costs exceeding the $95 billion mark. What types of events were included in this reckoning? Thunderstorms and tornadoes caused the bulk of property damage (350+ tornadoes occurred in April 2020 alone), along with hurricanes, tropical storms and wildfires wreaking havoc across the country. No one, except people who do this professionally, like emergency preparedness directors or business continuity managers, ever expects a disaster to strike. However, without dedicating resources to prepare and plan, it's likely you could be caught flat-footed when a major incident does occur. When you're creating a plan, think about these three types of events that could occur. Then, start aligning the resources that will keep your organization running with as few service interruptions and as little unbudgeted expense as possible. This press release was produced by the Austin Chamber of Commerce - Blog. The views expressed here are the author's own.