Disaster planning, also referred to as “catastrophe planning,” should be a primary consideration for each and every one of your clients. It is concerned with saving the life of your client and their families, as well as preventing or reducing loss to their real and personal property.
There are several resources available to both individuals and businesses that can assist with preparing for disasters and dealing with the aftermath. A simple Google search for “disaster planning” will result in a plethora of websites with valuable catastrophe planning information. The federal government also has a number of helpful websites. During your research focus on departments that deal with disasters, such as FEMA and the SBA. Here are a few suggested websites to visit:
1. www.fema.gov/plan. The purpose of this site is to provide information on strategic and operational disaster planning. The intended audience for this page is individuals, families, communities, and both the private and nonprofit sectors.
2. www.ready.gov/business. This site provides business-focused information about program management, planning implementation, testing and exercises, program improvement, and more.
3. www.sba.gov/node. Here you can find information on various aspects of emergency preparedness. It contains both general information and specific disaster information. Topics include hurricanes, winter weather, earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, workplace hazards and first aid, and even cyber security.
None of these sites are perfect for all clients, but my point is this: encourage your clients to take action. Follow risk management protocols. The risk exposure of natural disaster has been identified and analyzed in this article. Now is the time for you to help your client control the disaster risk by educating them and encouraging them to take further steps to protect themselves, their family and their property.
Kevin L. Glaser, CPCU, CIC, SCLA, ARM, AAI, AIC, ARM-P, AIS, is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of insurance and risk management and is author of Inside the Insurance Industry - 3rd Edition. He is president of Risk & Insurance Services Consulting LLC, a national fee-only P&C insurance consulting and expert witness firm, and Right Side Creations LLC, owner of the RISC Analyzer, a product that allows financial advisors to identify client P&C insurance and risk management exposures. Glaser can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 262-569-0929.