b'(continued from page 5) What is a disaster preparedness program?impacts that would occur due to disruption of those A disaster preparedness program is a plan, eitherprocesses. self-directed or guided by an organization, thatStep 3: Implementation. In this step, committee enables business owners to prepare themselves, theirmembers identify and assess resources, draft written employees, and their businesses for the possibility ofplans, develop a system to manage incidents, and a natural or man-made disaster.train employees as needed. Several key documents contribute to successful program implementation, Organizations such as the Federal Emergencyincluding crisis communications, emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Businessresponse, and business continuity plans. Administration (SBA), and state governments provideStep 4: Testing & Exercises. To evaluate the disaster assistance for damages to small businessesprogram\'s effectiveness, including the success of located in declared disaster areas. employee training, management should run tests anddrills to see what works and note opportunities for Steps to implement a disaster preparedness programimprovement. Following are five steps that will help you create aStep 5: Program Improvement. During testing or an disaster preparedness program, as outlined byactual incident, weaknesses in the program are likely ready.gov, a national public service campaignto be revealed. They should be documented, along designed to educate Americans about preparing forwith lessons learned and strategies for addressing and responding to natural and man-made disasters.such problems in the future. Step 1: Program Management. In many cases,Other disaster preparedness resources there are minimum regulations that govern howThe Small Business Administration (sba.gov) offers a certain businesses manage risk, but as a businessnumber of resources designed to help small owner you will need to determine whether thebusinesses shore up their emergency preparedness, minimums are enough. As ready.gov states, "Manyincluding links to templates and worksheets that will risks cannot be insured, so a preparedness programhelp you gather the data you need to put together the may be the only means of managing those risks."various written documents. The SBA\'s Disaster Management commitment to a preparednessPreparedness and Recovery Plan outlines the various program, as well as a written preparedness policy andways in which the SBA can assist businesses oversight committee, may be critical to ensuring yourrecovering from disasters. business\'s longevity. Step 2: Planning. This step should include theIMPORTANT DISCLOSURES Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. does not provide investment, creation of a "risk assessment" that identifies alltax, legal, or retirement advice or recommendations. The information presented here is not specific to any individual\'s personal potential risks and hazards for your business, withcircumstances. ideas for mitigating their impact. It should highlight To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written threats and hazards that are considered "probable,"to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose as well as any that could cause injury, propertyof avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her damage, business disruption, or environmentalindividual circumstances. impact. Another critical document is the "business These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes impact analysis," which details sensitive or criticalbased upon publicly available information from sources believed processes as well as the financial and operationalto be reliablewe cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these 12'