Disasters happen, and a smart business owner knows they should be completely prepared for them at all times. Mother Nature waits for no one. The hard part about natural disasters is that they are completely random in some cases, and always uncertain. Facing the inevitability of disaster is hard for many small business owners. But once you understand that it could happen to you and your company next week, you can start preparing for the worst using the tips below.

Develop a Worst Case Scenario Plan

If you don’t have a plan now, don’t wait any longer. Get your employees together for an hour and talk about the worst thing that could happen in your area. Brainstorm ideas for how to ensure everyone is safe, as that is a business owner’s first priority. Make sure you have an emergency kit for each employee that will last for 72 hours, and make sure to include water, food, flashlights, and a can opener for non-perishable foods.

Protect Your Most Precious Asset – Data

Not protecting your data, even when disasters aren’t common, isn’t a very good idea. Let’s say that you’re completely protected from natural disasters somehow. That doesn’t mean you’re protected from broken down servers, power problems, or viruses. You need to make sure that you are protected from any and ALL disasters. It’s as simple as making sure you have a redundant storage unit that isn’t located near your office. Cloud services are also a good choice as they are cheap and scalable for any size company.

Find a Different Power Source

Most natural disasters can result in a loss of power, and some 92% of offices don’t have a backup source of power. There are several companies that specialize in alternative power sources. Some of them thrive on technology that’s been around for a long time, such as generators. Other companies have started up businesses based on new technologies like solar energy systems. Both of the systems provide a limited amount of power for a limited amount of time, but sometimes even a few days will protect your employees and data on computers just long enough for everything to come back online.