Could My Business Survive a Flood?

Review & plan for the worst

IT Disaster Recovery Planning is a Must?

Can you answer – “Could my business survive a flood?”

From a full on flood caused by a burst river to a burst pipe due to cold weather.  Floods and water damage are difficult to recover from and prove time consuming due to the extent of damage water causes. Businesses can find themselves stranded without utilities and other services to their premises.

But what about your valuable data, business information systems and IT Systems.

How would your business and key staff continue to work?

Flood? “Unlikely” I hear you say? BUT Kent actually has significant areas which have a heightened flood risk.

Ask yourself  “Are my IT systems resilient enough?”

We can provide you with IT Support Services designed to provide availability of IT systems to staff off site, both in an emergency or on a daily basis.  In many cases we can offer a free of charge service. Providing a room to accommodate up to six key members of staff working on a businesses’ own data. The provision of our Disaster Recovery Suite (located at our offices in Hersden, Canterbury) is an inclusive added value service to our Premium IT Support and Maintenance Contracts.

Government Press Release

In November 2015 the Government issued a Press Release urging businesses to check their flood risk. Of course there are many other types of disaster, but a recent survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses revealed that two thirds of small businesses had been affected by severe weather such as flooding in the past 3 years.  75% of businesses surveyed had no plan in place to deal with these incidents.

Shockingly, the FSB report also showed that only 25% of micro-businesses (those with fewer than 10 employees) had a resilience plan in place that specifically includes severe weather. More shocking was that 93% of small businesses believed severe weather posed a risk to some part of their business.  Small businesses with previous experience of severe weather were more motivated to prepare resilience plans.

Environment Agency Help

I was surprised to find three maps available on the Environment Agency website , readily available to the public and providing information on areas at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, surface water and reservoirs. It does not give information about risk of flooding from groundwater.  The areas of Kent significantly at risk from flooding is surprising.

Properties at risk of flooding isn’t always obvious, they do not need to be close to a river or the sea or on low lying ground to be exposed to flood risk. Surface water, groundwater and overflowing sewers are increasingly common causes of flooding.

Interactive Online Maps

The following maps are available on the Environment Agency website, you can zoom in to view Kent and your local area:

Alternatively you can ask your landlord, or if you own the property you could check the searches made by your solicitor at the outset of purchase. Even your business insurer may be able to offer you advice on being prepared for a flood if your business is particularly at risk from the elements.

Realistically, all businesses would benefit from having a Business Continuity Plan in place and should include coverage in the event of severe weather.  Our Disaster Recovery facilities  can provide the back bone of SME requirements in the event of disruption to services.

In 2013-14, the wettest winter on record saw 3,200 commercial properties flooded and 7,700 homes flooded. The costs to businesses are still being counted from these floods. It is estimated to run into tens of thousands of pounds for each business flooded.

With Disaster Recovery, simple procedures can make all the difference to business continuity. Keeping a copy of business data offsite is not always enough to ensure a company can continue trading.  You might also want to consider how often your data is restored, or software usage viability test been carried out.

Simple steps you can take

If you cannot answer the question “Could my business survive a flood?” Then, there are some simple steps you can take to help protect your business from flooding and to prepare for future climate changes;

Over the next few weeks we will look at Business Continuity for Small Businesses. We will also be developing some simple protection to aid Micro Businesses in ensuring they can continue to trade if they experience a Disaster.

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