As small business owners, we spend most of our time focused on serving customers, managing employees, growing revenue, and solving everyday challenges. Unfortunately, severe weather doesn’t wait until our schedules are clear.
Whether it’s a thunderstorm, tornado, flood, ice storm, or extended power outage, severe weather can disrupt operations in a matter of minutes. The businesses that recover the fastest are often the ones that took time to prepare before the storm arrived.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, businesses that prepare for emergencies are in a much better position to recover and continue operations after a disaster strikes. Creating a plan before you need it can help protect your employees, customers, equipment, data, and revenue.
Why Every Small Business Needs a Severe Weather Plan
Many business owners assume severe weather won’t significantly impact their company. However, a single storm can cause:
- Power outages
- Internet disruptions
- Property damage
- Flooding
- Employee safety concerns
- Lost revenue from unexpected closures
- Damage to computers and business records
The goal of a severe weather plan isn’t to eliminate every risk. It’s to reduce confusion and help your business respond quickly when conditions become dangerous.
Start With Employee Safety
Nothing is more important than the people who make your business successful.
Every business should establish procedures for severe weather emergencies. Employees should know:
- Where to shelter during a tornado warning
- How weather-related closures will be communicated
- Who to contact during an emergency
- When it is safe to return to work
A written plan helps eliminate uncertainty during stressful situations and allows employees to focus on staying safe. Experts consistently identify employee safety as the top priority in any emergency preparedness plan.
Protect Your Critical Business Data
For many businesses, data is more valuable than equipment.
Imagine losing:
- Customer records
- Accounting information
- Vendor contacts
- Marketing materials
- Contracts and legal documents
Cloud-based backups can ensure critical information remains accessible even if your office suffers damage. Consider maintaining both cloud and offline backups for important files.
Remember, replacing a computer is relatively easy. Replacing years of business records may not be.
Create a Communication Plan
One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is having emergency supplies but no communication strategy. During an emergency, confusion can become a greater problem than the storm itself.
Your severe weather communication plan should answer:
- How will employees be notified of closures?
- How will customers know if you’re open?
- Who will update social media accounts?
- How will vendors be informed of disruptions?
Having these answers before severe weather arrives can save valuable time when every minute matters.
Prepare for Power Outages
Many businesses depend entirely on electricity and internet access.
Consider how your business would operate if power was unavailable for several hours—or even several days.
You may want to prepare:
- Battery backups for computers
- Portable charging devices
- Flashlights
- Emergency lighting
- Printed contact lists
- Backup internet options
Businesses that rely heavily on technology should also consider how they will continue serving customers during an extended outage.
Review Your Insurance Coverage
Many business owners assume all weather-related damage is covered by insurance. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.
Take time to review:
- Property insurance
- Business interruption coverage
- Flood insurance
- Equipment coverage
Understanding your coverage before a storm occurs can prevent unpleasant surprises during the recovery process.
Assess Your Unique Risks
A severe weather plan should be tailored to your business and location.
For Indiana businesses, common concerns may include:
- Tornadoes
- High winds
- Flash flooding
- Severe thunderstorms
- Winter storms
- Extended power outages
Think about the specific risks that could impact your operations and develop procedures to address those scenarios. Experts recommend focusing first on the threats most likely to affect your business.
Practice Before You Need It
The best emergency plan is one that everyone understands.
Review your plan periodically with employees. Make updates when phone numbers change, new staff members join the team, or business operations evolve.
A plan sitting in a file cabinet won’t help much during a tornado warning. A plan that has been reviewed and practiced can help keep people safe and minimize disruptions.
Tips to Be Severe Weather Ready at Home & Work
Get An NOAA Weather Radio
Always keep a battery-operated weather radio in your Emergency Preparedness Kit. Weather radio sets can tune into your local NOAA All Hazards Radio station for updates on when it’s safe to leave your shelter after a storm. Some models of weather radios also have a flashlight, charger and hand-cranked power generator built-in.
Other important items to have in your Emergency Preparedness Kit include a 7-day supply of any medications you take, a flashlight with extra batteries, a 3-day supply of food and water, and a first aid kit.
Check the Weather Forecast
While severe weather can happen with little or no warning, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center publishes forecasts on the possibility of severe weather throughout the country. The risk categories range from Thunderstorms, where no severe weather is expected to High, where widespread severe weather is expected.
- 0 – Thunderstorms: no severe weather is expected. Lightning & flooding threats exist with all thunderstorms.
- 1 – Marginal: Isolated severe storms possible. Limited in duration and/or coverage and/or intensity.
- 2 – Slight: Scattered severe storms possible. Short-lived and/or not widespread, isolated intense storms possible.
- 3 – Enhanced: Numerous severe storms possible. More persistent and/or widespread, a few intense.
- 4 – Moderate: Widespread severe storms likely. Long, widespread and intense.
- 5 – High: Widespread severe storms expected. Long-lived, very widespread and particularly intense.
Severe Weather Terms and Definitions
- Watch: There is a risk for severe weather. Check the forecast for additional alerts regularly.
- Severe Thunderstorm: A thunderstorm is considered severe when winds reach 58 miles per hour or higher, hail larger than a 1″ diameter or if it is capable of producing a tornado
- Warning: A severe weather event has been identified and poses an immediate risk
Thunderstorm Safety
Thunderstorms develop quickly and pose a threat to outdoor activities. When a thunderstorm approaches, move into a substantial building until the storm passes.
Flooding Safety
Flooding is a serious hazard that occurs when large amounts of rain or melting snow overwhelm waterways and sewer systems resulting in flooded areas. If you encounter a flooded road while driving, do not attempt to cross. Rapid flowing water can destroy roads and may be deeper that it appears. If flooding is a threat in your area, move to higher ground.
Tornado Safety
Tornadoes are most common between April and June but can happen ay time of year. Each year, Indiana has an average of 25 tornadoes. in 2011, Indiana had a record 72 tornadoes.
While most of the tornadoes in Indiana are small and cause minor damage, there are several major tornadoes in the state’s history. Some examples of notable tornadoes in Indiana include the Tri-State Tornado in 1925, a violent tornado in Elkhart, Indiana during the Tornado Outbreak of March 1942, the Kokomo tornado during the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak of 1965, the DePauw tornado during the 1974 Super Outbreak and the Henryville Tornado in 2012.
When a Tornado Warning has been issued for your area, take cover immediately. If you have a basement, go there. If there isn’t a basement, go to an interior room, stairway or hallway. If you’re outdoors, seek a sturdy indoor shelter. If finding shelter isn’t an option, lie flat in a ditch and protect your head.
Become A SKYWARN Storm Spotter
The SKYWARN volunteer program is nearly 400,000 trained weather spotters who report weather conditions in their community to the National Weather Service. These reports help the National Weather Service track storms and issue warnings faster, giving people more time to prepare.
Training for the SKYWARN Storm Spotter Program is free. The National Weather Service encourages anyone interested in public service to join. Training usually takes about 2 hours. You can learn more about upcoming training dates in your area here. You can also enroll in the course online here.
Final Thoughts
Severe weather is an unavoidable part of doing business in Indiana. While none of us can control the weather, we can control how prepared we are when it arrives.
Taking a few hours to develop a severe weather plan today could save days, weeks, or even months of recovery time in the future.
The next storm may be days away—or it may be this afternoon. Either way, your business will be stronger when you have a plan in place.
Sources & Additional Reading
- National Weather Service 2022 Severe Weather Preparedness Week Schedule: https://www.weather.gov/ind/SevereWxWeek
- National Weather Service Severe Weather Preparedness Week: https://www.weather.gov/media/ind/PrepWeeks/Severe/2022_severenewsletter.pdf
- NOAA All Hazards Radio Station in Indiana: https://www.weather.gov/nwr/stations?State=IN
- FEMA Disaster Preparedness: https://www.ready.gov
- National Weather Service SKYWARN Storm Spotter Program: https://www.weather.gov/SKYWARN
- National Weather Service Event Codes: https://www.weather.gov/nwr/eventcodes
