If you stepped into a Target or Walmart on the West Coast the morning of Thursday, October 16, you might have experienced something out of the ordinary. The two retailers (and Business Forward member companies) participated in The Great ShakeOut, an earthquake simulation that took place at 950,000 businesses nationwide (plus millions more schools and other other organizations worldwide) at 10:16 a.m. local time.
The event, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Geological Survey, the American Red Cross, and others, was an opportunity for businesses to prepare for and mitigate the effects of a potential disaster. The drill highlighted the different steps a school, organization, family, or business should take to prepare in case of a natural disaster. The shakeout.org website walks through potential hazards and preventive actions a business should take to avoid the damage to the business and its employees.
Small businesses also need to consider the risks. While infrequent, earthquakes can threaten employees’ safety, damage structures, and affect the surrounding infrastructure, impacting companies’ ability to do businesses. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake centered in California’s Napa region in August 2014 caused an estimated $1 billion in damages and losses—so it pays to be prepared. FEMA also has many resources on its website for businesses owners, including what they should do before, during, and after the next earthquake.
Click here to learn more about the Great ShakeOut: https://www.shakeout.org/
And if you’d like to learn more about what to do to prepare for an earthquake, please watch the video below.