Winter Storm Coming and Your Risk Assessment

Winter Storms Neptune and Octavia are on their way! Are you prepared?

1. Now is the time to plan ahead for future business-oriented weather-related potential risks.  Depending on your business and location(s), who will make the crucial decision to close (if that is an option for your work-site)? If you close, what processes will be affected? Is there a way to transfer those responsibilities to someone else to handle remotely - and do they have the right equipment to do so, at an appropriate level of security? 

Who will respond to phone calls and e-mails, handle expected deliveries or products to be shipped out? Whose job will it be to notify patients, clients, students, customers, vendors or others that you are closing?

If your plan is to shelter in place, who will make that decision and how much advance notice will employees have?

Will those employees who have children in schools, elders in daycare or other responsibilities such as pets have an option to take the day off?

2. Be prepared at home for a winter storm. Information at www.ready.gov can help prevent frozen water pipes and much more.  If power lines come down, do you have alternate sources of light, such as extra D-batteries and flashlights that use them (as they last longer than smaller batteries and generate more light)? Do you have a way to cook and a manual can opener? How do you plan to stay warm if you have a home with electric heat? Do you have extra bottled water?  Do you have extra diapers, medicine and other supplies if you can't get to a store due to icy roads? If you use a C-pap machine or other electrical equipment for medical purposes, do you have a home generator or a battery-powered option for the machine? If you have medicine that needs to be refrigerated at a constant temperature, how will you manage that if your electricity goes out?

Do you have renter's or homeowner's insurance? If so, have you read the policy and know what it covers? For example, if a tree falls, does it cover some or all of the cost of having it removed? What about if it damages your home or vehicle? Are the contents of your refrigerator and freezer covered if there is no electricity and the food spoils?  If you have to stay in a hotel because of home damage, is that covered in your policy?  Do you have the telephone number and policy number to call the insurance company if you need to file a claim for renters', homeowners' or auto insurance? If you have this information, is it written down on paper in case your electronics do not work? (If you don't have renter's insurance and you rent,  do consider getting this insurance as soon as possible, definitely before the next storm. It can be inexpensive to get, and can be a lifeline if you have a disaster in your apartment or rented home.)

3. Lastly, how well is your vehicle equipped for being on the road in bad weather, even if your commute is usually a short one? Do you have an emergency kit consisting of blankets, extra hats, gloves and warm socks (because cold affects extremities first),  a flashlight with extra batteries,  an orange emergency triangle, emergency foods, water,  jumper cables and more? (There are lists of what to include at http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/emergency-kit.php.) If you have babies or young children, do you have necessary supplies such as extra diapers and toys in the car for them?  Do you fill up your gas tank when the weather starts looking ominous, and make sure your cell phone is fully charged?  You can't control the weather, so think ahead about what you could need and put it in a vehicle emergency kit today!Be prepared for the these severe storms; plan now!

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in communication for business. Our e-book, Executive Communication Strategies, offers valuable tips in 18 communication skills for leadership. Get the e-book today!

Winter Storm Electra and Your Emergency Preparations

Winter Storm Electra, a severe storm,  is predicted for 20 states  of the USA in the next few days. Those affected need to be prepared with extra water, easily prepared food (and a manual can opener), extra medicine, extra batteries for flashlights, rock salt and shovels if in the freezing rain, ice storm or snow zones,  charged up cell phones and computers, a well-stocked car emergency kit if traveling, and a full tank of gas. You need to pay close attention to the latest weather reports and warnings, whether by radio, internet or TV.

But think beyond this. If the worst should happen, would you know how to reach your homeowner's/renter's, car and health insurance companies? Would you have your account numbers and the claims departments' telephone numbers handy? Would your family know how to get these for you, in the event you couldn't make these calls?

Now is the time to think about these possibilities, not later when you may be dealing with weather problems.

An easy way to get organized financially is through the Financial Overview Template. Use this easy template to write down as much information as you can find now, before the storm gets bad in your locale.  Then, be sure to print a hard copy of it, which you can get to if needed, if the electricity goes out.    After the storm, add the rest of the data, bit by bit, as you locate it. (As your information changes over time, you can update it easily.)

The pay-off for this will be a serene sense of financial organization and confidence; you will be able to find  the data you need, when you need it. Just think: your account numbers will be easily accessible. Your knowledge of your benefits and what they cover, your retirement information, and many other details will be quickly available, too. Imagine how great that will feel! Get the Financial Overview Template now, and be prepared with knowledge of your finances before the next storm comes!

Leadership: Developing and Communicating Emergency Plans

What would you do - right now - if the electricity went off in your home or business? Do you know where the closest flashlight is, and have the batteries been checked in it this month? Could you find it easily in the dark? How would you cook or get heat? Are there people who are dependent on electricity for medical reasons, such as CPAP machines? If so, do you have a back-up generator?

Now consider the common emergencies faced in your workplace or home. Besides a loss of electricity, consider weather-related ones, medical, building repair, financial, personnel and legal ones (such as someone getting arrested).

Recently, a reader with expertise in emergency management asked his supervisor about the organization's emergency management procedures. The employee was startled to hear that the supervisor didn't know these plans, but referred him to the Human Resources department.

If emergency plans are not known to everyone - and practiced regularly - there is a major problem in communication. During a disaster, it's too late.

Ready.gov is a great source in the US for information on how to prepare for common emergencies.
Check it out!

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in executive communication skills.

A weather disaster and your personal financial documents

If a severe weather disaster occurred, and you and your family were fortunate enough to have survived, would you have your personal financial documents? Would your birth certificate, marriage/professional/driver's licenses, insurance policy numbers, passport and other documents be easy to grab if needed? After a tornado, survivors' personal documents were scattered over a wide area. After a hurricane, many documents were either lost or very soggy. Imagine how long it would take to put your documents back together again! If they came from local sources, it might take even longer. Planning ahead can save you a lot of grief. Complete the Financial Overview form at www.myfinancialrecords.net and have your essential personal documents in one place, with all account numbers, contact information, etc neatly on the 17 page form. From insurance policy numbers to bank account information, this is ready for you to write down the information you might need. You will have this together for your everyday use, too. Do you need to know your passport number or the way to contact your bank? With this document, it's a snap! For a limited time only, this document is free for those who answer a single question at www.my financialrecords.net. This is an exceptional deal, so hurry today to www.myfinancialrecords.net now to get the document! www.myfinancialrecords.net helps people with preparing information for eldercare, for gathering and understanding your own finances, and with disaster documents. Check out this great new resource!

Retirement Planning and Eldercare Financial Organization

Do you fit into one of three groups of people: needing to organize your own financial records (possibly for retirement planning), caring for an elderly parent and needing to organize their records, or organizing your documents in case of a future disaster/recovering from a past disaster? In all three cases, you want to check out a new website, www.myfinancialrecords.net. Here you will find a great document, a template you can use to organize all the details of your financial life! These might range from your insurance policy numbers and who to call if you have a question or claim, to numbers for retirement accounts, your Vehicle Identification number, and a LOT more! Imagine the peace of mind you will feel when all that information is easily accessible to you! Plus, if there were to be a disaster, you could save an incredible amount of time There are also instructions on scanning personal documents, such as professional licenses, birth certificates, passports, your house deed and much more, and how to replace those that are missing. Then keep a hard copy of them, in a notebook sealed in plastic, for your records in case of emergency. In addition, put them on a password-protected flash-drive, to take with you in case of emergency when you are out of the house. Ready for that feeling of relief? Check out www.MyFinancialRecords.net!

Hurricane Sandy and your personal financial records

You've got your 3 days' supplies of food and water. You have clothes, blankets, prescriptions, a weather radio, flashlights and extra batteries as well as a cell phone charger. Do you also have copies of your personal financial records - in at least 2 formats? Financial records are crucial at this time. If they were to get wet and/or lost, it would take a lot of work and time to get them again. Gather together copies of birth and marriage certificates, drivers' and professional licenses/certificates, diplomas and transcripts, and green cards. You also need insurance papers, such as car and home-owners or renters insurance. If you are lucky enough to have flood insurance, get that as well. Get your medical, dental, disability and long-term care or other insurance cards and policies as well as bank records. Also collect information about retirement accounts, such as IRAs, and investments. Write down the names of your utilities, contact information and account numbers. If you need to cancel your accounts, you will be able to do this more easily. Take photos (maybe using your cell phone) of your property. Take close-ups of valuable things, such as jewelry, furniture and your car. Write down any details listed on the jewelry or furniture if you have time. The power may fail, so bring some cash for emergencies in the event you cannot use your credit cards. Speaking of credit cards, photo-copy the front and back of them. The back has the telephone number to call if your card is lost. Of course, if your card is lost, you won't have this number - and will be liable for the cost of goods charged to it. (Nice racket, isn't it?) If you have a business, get your liability and other business insurance policies, as well as business licenses, too. Get names and contact information for all your employees. That may mean cell phone and e-mail addresses. Get a list of all your creditors and those who owe you funds. If you are an employee, write down the contact information for co-workers and your boss, if possible. Make a list of your relatives' and close friends' contact information, so you can contact them later if needed. Designate one person outside of the anticipated disaster zone to be the contact person for the family - and send him or her a copy of the list of the relatives. As each person arrives in a shelter or other location, that person calls your contact person if possible to say she or he is safe. If you have time, also make a list of this information above. For example, write the name of your bank, its' address, phone number and URL, as well as your bank account numbers. Write your credit/debit card numbers here, as well as the number to call if they are lost or stolen. Do the same for all your insurance policies, with the name of the company, contact information, your agent's name if you have one, the policy number and the number to contact if you have a claim. Be sure to list when the information was last updated. Then scan the actual documents or the list above and put a copy onto a password-protected flash-drive you take with you. Make a copy of the documents and/or the list and put it into a sealed plastic bag that goes with you, as well. (This is especially helpful if there is no power and you need the information on the list.) If you are not in the path of this hurricane, prepare this information anyway. It not only will help with a disaster, but will also make it so much easier when you need to make changes to your financial information and need account numbers and contact information. It will also be invaluable to your heirs or other executors of your estate. Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal skills. Check out our coaching and e-books! The information above is provided as a public service.

After Hurricane Isaac: Are You Prepared for a Disaster?

"We've never had a disaster here", said a young father of 2, when asked if he had prepared for a disaster should it strike his home. His implication was if a disaster had never happened before, it wouldn't happen now. Is this what you or others you know are thinking?

Disasters can strike anywhere, regardless of whether one has struck there before. (There's always a first time.) The only control you have is whether you are prepared.

Don't wait! Visit http://www.ready.gov/are-you-ready-guide/
to be as prepared as possible. Your life, and the lives of your family, may depend on your willingness to think ahead and gather the supplies you need for potential disasters in your community.

Ger an emergency radio and put it where it can wake you up in the night in the event of an emergency in your area. You want all the warning time you can get; don't assume you will know about a disaster because the wind will wake you up in time to get somewhere safe.

Also scan and put essential documents on a flashdrive. These may include copies of professional and drivers' licenses, a will and power of attorney, medical records, financial documents, your home or renters' insurance papers, a home inventory, a list of family contact information and more.

Exert your control. Think ahead and make a plan for your family in the event of an emergency - today!

Giving in Times of Disaster: What Do You Need?

When a community experiences a disaster, such as a weather-related one, it goes through specific steps. The first one is search and rescue. Outsiders should ask people if they are OK, and then be prepared to listen - often repeatedly - to what they went through. Before offering help, whether bottled water, clothes, toiletries or whatever, ask first "What do you most need?" Those asking may be surprised at the answers.

The disaster doesn't end in a few days when the news media tires of the story and goes on to something else. Take time to keep asking, "How are you doing? What do you need?"

Whether it's a listening ear, a sense of routine and calm, replacement furniture, batteries or specialized equipment, the answers keep changing. Disasters take a long time to recover from...and life will never be the same.

If you have never experienced a weather disaster, it's a great time now to get prepared. Visit www.ready.gov and follow their suggestions. Get a weather radio, and prepare for the most likely weather emergencies in your community. Make copies of the most important financial, legal and professional records you might need after a disaster, such as your homeowner's or renter's insurance documents, your car insurance papers, your licenses, diplomas and certificates - and send one set of these to a trusted family member or friend who lives in another state, to hold in case it is ever needed. Make a second set and put it where you could grab it in the event of an evacuation. Being prepared increases your feeling of control and may reduce the after-effects of a disaster.

You can't prevent disasters, but you can get prepared for them and listen carefully to those who have experienced one.

Business Speech Improvement (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com) provides intensive training in verbal communication skills, such as listening and asking critical questions.