Any business may fall victim to a disaster that may disrupt their business. The disaster may be an event such as fire, flood or earthquake, a creeping disaster such as drought or disease, or a disaster that impacts a single business such as a factory fire or computer virus.
Best practice for businesses is to have a continuity plan to assist them to respond to such disasters and support recovery. Unfortunately, experience shows that many businesses do not have a continuity plan or, if they do, it is inadequate. This makes business recovery more difficult.
CPA Australia have developed a Toolkit designed to assist small businesses impacted directly and indirectly by a disaster. It is intended to help such businesses take a considered approach to the many elements of recovery following a disaster.
This toolkit focuses on business issues those affected by a disaster should consider. It covers:
- What to do immediately following a disaster
- Taking stock – guidance on how to analyse and evaluate the state of your business
- A new business plan – guidance on developing a new business plan to help recovery and how to fund that new plan
- Long-term disaster recovery – guidance on additional activities that may help your post-disaster business operate better than your pre-disaster business.
The toolkit includes checklists and templates to assist in the disaster recovery process.
To download the CPA Australia Toolkit, click here.
For further information, provided by the Australian government, on what your small business can do to prepare for a disaster, click here.
