EMA Journal • PMAA Journal Fall 2018 • Risk Management

Jerry Leemkuil, Field Manager Association Risk Management Services, Federated Insurance, PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner

Natural disasters can occur anytime and anywhere and can destroy years of hard work in an instant. While each area of the country experiences specific disasters, no area is free from the devastation of natural events.

Wildfires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes are just a few examples of natural disasters. Wildfires, both in fields of grass and forested areas, can be started by lightning, or by careless — or intentional — sparks from people. Floods occur in various locations and climates and come from runoff from heavy rains in highly populated areas, or natural waterways spilling over their banks or oversaturated land. You don’t have to be in a designated flood plane to purchase insurance against floods. Earthquakes happen along fault lines, many of which are near the West Coast. Depending on the proximity of the earthquakes to the coast, a tsunami may be part of the aftermath of an earthquake.

Tornadoes and hurricanes are storms with high-speed, destructive winds. Tornadoes occur over land masses and are often accompanied by severe thunderstorms and hail — particularly in the Midwest. Hurricanes are tropical storms formed over water and can be their own large-scale storm systems, covering hundreds of square miles. Hurricanes die out if they make landfall, but not before causing damage through wind, hail and flooding.

With proper planning, disasters’ impact on your livelihood can be minimized. If you haven’t developed a disaster plan for your business or need to update your current plan, the following steps may help. ^*

Step 1 — Research your business’s exposures and the options available to minimize them.

Step 4 — Educate employees on the plan and keep them informed of their responsibilities.

A community cannot survive a disaster unless businesses survive, and businesses cannot survive unless their employees survive. Mother Nature doesn’t care who’s in her way. Developing a functional, practical disaster plan can help protect your business, your employees and your future, and help you manage potential disasters with the confidence of knowing your business is prepared to carry on.

As a member of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety^® (IBHS), Federated Mutual Insurance Company provides many valuable disaster and recovery planning resources to clients at no cost. The IBHS Disaster Safety website offers a ZIP Code tool to identify risks specific to a geographical region, and OFB-EZ^® business continuity tool to help even the smallest businesses plan for recovery. For more information, visit www.disastersafety.org, or contact your local Federated marketing representative or Federated’s Risk Management Resource Center at 1.888.333.4949.

^*List is not all-inclusive. Your unique needs and business requirements must be considered when developing a disaster recovery plan.

This article is for general information and risk prevention only and should not be considered legal or other expert advice. The recommendations herein may help reduce but are not guaranteed to eliminate any or all risk of loss. Qualified counsel should be sought with questions specific to your circumstances. © 2018 Federated Mutual Insurance Company.