The damage from natural disasters can cost a lot. 

Tanya from the Grantham Store in the Lockyer Valley, tells us her story and how having a severe weather plan for your business is vital for your business.

Watch Tanya, a shop owner from Grantham on YouTube.

Find out the risk of natural disaster to your business and put together a plan.

Understand Your Local Risks

The best way to get your business ready is to understand the location's potential risks to natural disasters so you can make a plan before they occur. 

If you’re not sure what you should be planning for, check out these pages.

Risks of Natural Disaster To Your Business

Preparing for natural disasters will have wide reaching benefits to both your business and the broader community. Business continuity planning will help you to limit impacts to services provided to your customers, ensure your employees can continue to work, and will help to keep the local economy running. 

When you start to prepare a business continuity plan, you first need to have an understanding of the most common risk scenarios for your business. 

Hover over the interactive dots below or expand the checklist to explore some common scenarios that can occur in a disaster hit community and how to make a plan to protect what’s most important to you.

Community map scene
Your location

Depending on your physical location/s, you may be at risk of different types of natural disasters such as flood, bushfire, cyclone etc.

20.00%
30.00%
Chemist icon
Your suppliers

Important suppliers may be at risk which will impact their ability to provide goods and services to you during and after a natural disaster.

5.00%
57.00%
Truck icon
Customers

Customers relying on your services need to be considered both for their wellbeing and that of your business. Is there an alternative service you can provide during a disaster?

90.00%
63.00%
Elderly person icon
Delivery methods

How you deliver your goods and services may impact your ability to continue during a disaster. For example, if you deliver goods that are reliant on major transport routes that are at risk of closure.

62.00%
27.00%
Truck icon
Your employees

A disaster may prevent your employees from physically reaching your workplace, which will impact your ability to operate as normal. Employees may also be impacted by a temporary closure of your business. Are you employing foreign workers?  Will they know how to look after themselves in a disaster situation? Managers and employees should understand when and how to evacuate safely from the workplace.

96.00%
33.00%
Family icon
Your data

Have strategies in place for regularly backing up data and have spare keys and security codes ready on hand in an emergency.

5.00%
42.00%
Supermarket icon
Access to records

Have strategies to ensure important records are on hand during an emergency. This could include employee, supplier and customers contact details, insurance details, product lists and specifications, latest stock and equipment inventory.

45.00%
20.00%
Office building icon
Occupational health and safety

How will a disaster impact workplace conditions, and what measures will you put in place to keep your employees and customers safe.

20.00%
50.00%
Supermarket icon
Emergency kit

An emergency kit should contain items to help you prepare to evacuate in a disaster situation, and provide protective measures and equipment for all employees.

15.00%
35.00%
Evacuation pack icon
Insurance

Your identified risks should be addressed in your insurance policy to cover these risks. You should review your policy regularly.

35.00%
25.00%
Office building icon
Your location

Depending on your physical location/s, you may be at risk of different types of natural disasters such as flood, bushfire, cyclone etc.

20.00%
30.00%
Chemist icon
Your suppliers

Important suppliers may be at risk which will impact their ability to provide goods and services to you during and after a natural disaster.

5.00%
57.00%
Truck icon
Customers

Customers relying on your services need to be considered both for their wellbeing and that of your business. Is there an alternative service you can provide during a disaster?

90.00%
63.00%
Elderly person icon
Delivery methods

How you deliver your goods and services may impact your ability to continue during a disaster. For example, if you deliver goods that are reliant on major transport routes that are at risk of closure.

62.00%
27.00%
Truck icon
Your employees

A disaster may prevent your employees from physically reaching your workplace, which will impact your ability to operate as normal. Employees may also be impacted by a temporary closure of your business. Are you employing foreign workers?  Will they know how to look after themselves in a disaster situation? Managers and employees should understand when and how to evacuate safely from the workplace.

96.00%
33.00%
Family icon
Your data

Have strategies in place for regularly backing up data and have spare keys and security codes ready on hand in an emergency.

5.00%
42.00%
Supermarket icon
Access to records

Have strategies to ensure important records are on hand during an emergency. This could include employee, supplier and customers contact details, insurance details, product lists and specifications, latest stock and equipment inventory.

45.00%
20.00%
Office building icon
Occupational health and safety

How will a disaster impact workplace conditions, and what measures will you put in place to keep your employees and customers safe.

20.00%
50.00%
Supermarket icon
Emergency kit

An emergency kit should contain items to help you prepare to evacuate in a disaster situation, and provide protective measures and equipment for all employees.

15.00%
35.00%
Evacuation pack icon
Insurance

Your identified risks should be addressed in your insurance policy to cover these risks. You should review your policy regularly.

35.00%
25.00%
Office building icon
Your location

Depending on your physical location/s, you may be at risk of different types of natural disasters such as flood, bushfire, cyclone etc.

20.00%
30.00%
Chemist icon
Your suppliers

Important suppliers may be at risk which will impact their ability to provide goods and services to you during and after a natural disaster.

5.00%
57.00%
Truck icon
Customers

Customers relying on your services need to be considered both for their wellbeing and that of your business. Is there an alternative service you can provide during a disaster?

90.00%
63.00%
Elderly person icon
Delivery methods

How you deliver your goods and services may impact your ability to continue during a disaster. For example, if you deliver goods that are reliant on major transport routes that are at risk of closure.

62.00%
27.00%
Truck icon
Your employees

A disaster may prevent your employees from physically reaching your workplace, which will impact your ability to operate as normal. Employees may also be impacted by a temporary closure of your business. Are you employing foreign workers?  Will they know how to look after themselves in a disaster situation? Managers and employees should understand when and how to evacuate safely from the workplace.

96.00%
33.00%
Family icon
Your data

Have strategies in place for regularly backing up data and have spare keys and security codes ready on hand in an emergency.

5.00%
42.00%
Supermarket icon
Access to records

Have strategies to ensure important records are on hand during an emergency. This could include employee, supplier and customers contact details, insurance details, product lists and specifications, latest stock and equipment inventory.

45.00%
20.00%
Office building icon
Occupational health and safety

How will a disaster impact workplace conditions, and what measures will you put in place to keep your employees and customers safe.

20.00%
50.00%
Supermarket icon
Emergency kit

An emergency kit should contain items to help you prepare to evacuate in a disaster situation, and provide protective measures and equipment for all employees.

15.00%
35.00%
Evacuation pack icon
Insurance

Your identified risks should be addressed in your insurance policy to cover these risks. You should review your policy regularly.

35.00%
25.00%
Office building icon

Find Out More and Get Ready

Check out these other pages and resources to help you Get Ready.