5 Disasters That Could Hit Any Business

Around my hometown on the Gulf Coast, people tend to think of disasters as products of mother nature, particularly hurricanes. But there are many more that could strike at any given moment. The same is true for any part of the country. Below are five basic disasters that should be part of any preparedness plan.


1) Data Revelation – It's no secret that hacking occurs every day. No matter how safe you think your data is, there are any number of ways for it to get lost, stolen, or revealed to the wrong people. For instance, Blue Cross/Blue Shield recently made the news for unintentionally disclosing personal data on 1,700 of its agents, including social security numbers, addresses, birth dates and other sensitive information. Your data is never more than one mistake away from landing in the wrong hands.

2) Natural Disaster – Let's face it, no matter where you are natural disasters can and will occur. Some appear out of nowhere with no warning while others are known for days before they strike. Any natural disaster has the potential to wreak havoc from simply keeping customers away with severe weather to knocking whole buildings down.

3) Theft – Another fact of life is theft. Stolen equipment or inventory can have devastating effects on a business. The effects can range from a mess to clean up to severe damage to critical business operations.

4) Public Relations Crisis – Most businesses overlook the possibility of a public relations problem, but all it takes is one incident that can take away a whole product line or, worse still, damage your reputation. Let's say one of your major suppliers recalls a product line for safety reasons. The product constitutes a significant percentage of your shelf inventory, but suddenly, you are losing sales during the busiest season. In another example, perhaps a customer or former employee has filed a lawsuit against you following an accident on your property. To make matters worse, the media has sided with them and is making you out to be an uncaring person.

5) Terrorism – The potential for attacks by radical groups are a fact of life these days, they can take many forms ranging from small, harmless events to full-scale devastation. We're not talking just about Al Qaida, but any group that wants to capture public attention. That could include SUV-burning environmentalists to the D.C sniper shootings of 2002. Think of the businesses that suffered, such as gas stations, as people stayed off the streets. A 2007 FBI report on the sniper threat in the U.S. stated: “[S]nipers could possibly target many components of the civilian infrastructure, such as schools, churches, post offices, retail stores, gas stations, movie theaters, and so forth. Although appearing random, the engagement of a range of these types of targets over time may give the impression that nowhere is safe from a potential attack.”

Disaster Preparedness Consulting, LLC