Continuity Planning and Risk Management for Small Business
New Jersey Flooding Disaster Declaration
Whether you rent or own your own home, own your own business, or own a small agricultural cooperative located in a declared disaster area, and are the victim of a disaster, you may be eligible for financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
What Types of Disaster Loans are Available?
· Home Disaster Loans – Loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster damaged real estate or personal property owned by the victim. Renters are eligible for their personal property losses, including automobiles.
· Business Physical Disaster Loans – Loans to businesses to repair or replace disaster-damaged property owned by the business, including real estate, inventories, supplies, machinery and equipment. Businesses of any size are eligible. Non-profit organizations such as charities, churches, private universities, etc., are also eligible.
· Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) – Loans for working capital to small businesses and small agricultural cooperatives to assist them through the disaster recovery period. EIDL assistance is only available to applicants and their owners who cannot provide for their own recovery
New Jersey Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding - #10855 - April 14 - 20, 2007
New Jersey Severe Storms and Flooding #10525 - June 23 through July 10, 2006
Continuity Planning and Risk Management for Small Business
Oftentimes, with the competitive demands that small business owners face, risk management procedures and business continuity planning may be neglected. NJSBDC consultants and staff however, work to familiarize small business owners with processes to address crises of any kind—natural disasters, the threat of terrorism (through physical assault, environmental manipulation or cyber-terrorism) employee misconduct or just simple accidents that can negatively impact business operations.The NJSBDC network works with the State's Commerce Commission's Small Business Continuity Task Force and the U.S. Small Business Administration's Disaster Office to educate small business owners about practices and steps they can take to prevent unnecessary interruptions in business operations as a result of disaster and other unforeseen developments. NJSBDC business plan workshops include recently revised information on “business continuity planning” and “emergency preparedness.” NJSBDC partners with industry and government to get the message out that a comprehensive business plan needs to identify appropriate contingencies such as adequate insurance, training for employees, data and record keeping procedures that include off-site backup and periodic evaluation to make sure the practices in place fit the needs of the growing business. NJSBDC business planning seminars include a comprehensive analysis of best practices to safeguard the health of the small business and its most valuable asset—its people.
Commerce Secretary Virginia S. Bauer Lauds Release of Final Small Business Continuity Task Force Report
February 10, 2005
Pictured: Jeffrey A. Horn, CEO/President, Somerset County Business Partnership; Virginia S. Bauer, CEO/Secretary, New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth & Tourism Commission; Kenneth Scherer, Somerset County Freeholder; Brenda Hopper, State Director, New Jersey Small Business Development Center; Thomas D. Sharpe, Vice President, Somerset County Business Partnership; Angelo Corradino, Mayor of the Borough of Manville, NJ.
NJ Commerce Small Business Continuity Task Force Report
-from the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission
Commerce Secretary Virginia S. Bauer, a widow of a New Jersey victim of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, spearheaded the creation of a Small Business Continuity Task Force, an effort to create materials to assist small businesses in response to unpredictable events such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The Task Force developed a comprehensive checklist for businesses and plan for delivering state services including working with the NJ Small Business Development Centers to ensure that small businesses have the information they need to deal with a crisis. The Task Force distributed a presentation on A Blueprint for Emergency Preparedness. Hard copies of the Blueprint for Emergency Preparedness brochure are available at all NJSBDC centers and are also being distributed at NJSBDC business plan workshops.
Commerce also announced 1-86NJFIRST9 (1-866-534-7789), a phone system to connect businesses to professional call center agents who quickly direct callers to the appropriate Commerce office or other agency. The system provides real-time and historical system evaluation and monitoring, where a call center supervisor can monitor several pieces of data including the number of clients waiting in the queue and the average wait time. The real-time data can indicate immediate system trouble that may need an immediate response.
Letter to Small Businesses from Sec. Bauer and Brenda Hopper
Our goal is to educate and provide the necessary information to the small business sector to ensure you can protect your business against these circumstances and also know what recovery steps to take after a disaster or emergency to remediate financial implications and identify government agencies at the local, state and federal level that provide assistance for emergency planning. Read the full letter.Homeland Security Tools for Small Business
-from the Association of Small Business Development Centers
The Risk Management SBDC at the Bill Priest Institute in Dallas, TX has developed a homeland security guide for small businesses. The guide was developed with the support of the US Small Business Administration, and in cooperation with the North Texas SBDC and the Association of Small Business Development Centers. Bill Weddle, the author of the guide, develped this resource for SBDC couselors and their client to address the question many small business owner are asking today, "How is my small business going to have any effect on homeland security?" The guide is available as a 96 page (3 mg .pdf) download.
Disaster Preparedness Considerations
-from the U.S. Small Business Administration
The best time to respond to a disaster is before it happens. A relatively small investment of time and money, now, may prevent severe damage and disruption of life and business in the future. Every area in the country is subject to some kind of disaster – flood, hurricane, earthquake, ice storm, and landslide, to name a few. Even man-made disasters – oil spill, civil unrest, fire, etc. – can devastate the surrounding neighborhood and economy. Even though an area has never been damaged before, there is no guarantee that it will not happen tomorrow. See the Disaster Preparedness Considerations web site.
Additional Resources
-from the Public Entity Risk Institute
PERI's goal is to connect you to the knowledge, resources, and information that will help you address your risk management challenges. The Clearinghouse links to hundreds of resources in risk management, disaster management, and environmental liability management. See:
