Having been through a recent catastrophe, I am now somewhat of an authority on disaster preparedness. I live in Northern Connecticut, one of the areas hit hardest by the October 29, 2011 snowstorm that knocked out power to almost a million people in my state for an extended period of time. What was the biggest challenge for me? It was the mental drain of survival. Yes, survival in the year 2011!

Second to survival was coping with how to sustain my business. Most local businesses were closed for an entire week. Many employees of these businesses received paid time-off or were given the opportunity to use vacation, personal or sick time. As the owner of a one-person, online company, I had nobody but myself to rely on for a week’s worth of missed business.

I am going to share with you my story – what I learned about to prepare myself personally for survival and how to maintain my business in the event of a catastrophe. Don’t think it’ll happen to you? Really? I never thought so, either!

Listen Up!

With the media constantly blasting us about the next huge weather event, eventually we become numb to what they’re telling us. In the days prior to the October 29 storm, many local meteorologists urged us to pay attention to this monster. They were calling it catastrophic. But wasn’t Hurricane Irene also considered the same? Heck, we only lost power for 8 hours overnight when Irene hit. Therefore, most of us went on with our normal lives, not realizing what was in store for us. 

What did I learn from this? Pay attention to the weather reports when they are considered catastrophic!

Be Prepared

I can’t stress enough how important it is to be prepared to be without power for who knows how long. We were lucky – we had our power restored after five days. However, as I write this, there are still people without power in my state and it is 12 days after the storm.

Following is a list of what I believe is important to have ready prior to a catastrophic event:

• Know Your Evacuation Route. With this storm came massive destruction. Many were left helpless, shut off from the world due to downed trees and power lines. Make sure you know how to safely evacuate your home and neighborhood with a solid plan of action.
   
• Gasoline. Have a full tank of gasoline in your vehicle. My gas tank was on empty. Normally, it doesn’t matter because I have a gas station at the end of my street and I can creep down there on fumes, if needed. However, there wasn’t a gas station with power anywhere in the area that I could drive to without running out of gas. Other people were in the same situation – and many were pushing their vehicles while waiting in long lines at stations that were running on generators. I couldn’t picture myself doing that – so I stayed put until the station down the street reopened after four days.
   
• Cash. If you are lucky enough to have gasoline in your vehicle to drive to a store that is running on a generator, make sure you have cash on hand. Most likely, they are accepting cash, only. I had a measly $20.00 on me because I normally use a debit card for most items I purchase. Most banks and ATMs were without power.
   
• Heat. Temperatures in Connecticut dipped into the low 20’s at night during the power outage. Thankfully, we have a woodstove and plenty of firewood, but others were relying on dangerous alternatives that killed them or made them nearly lose their lives with the improper use of generators or charcoal grills in the home. Be mindful of how you’ll stay warm. If you can’t heat your home properly during a power outage, think about lots of layers of clothing, tons of blankets and sleeping bags to keep you warm at night.
   
• Check On and Take In Fragile Family, Friends and Neighbors. Many fragile people, especially the elderly, refused to leave their homes. An 82 year-old woman who lived in a neighborhood near my parents lost her life due to the chilly temperatures. Her family kept insisting that she stay with them, but she would not leave. She was found in her rocking chair, covered in a blanket, frozen to death. If someone you know is in need and appears too proud to come with you, do not leave that person alone. Call the authorities, if needed. It could save a life.
   
• Food, Water and Cooking Resources. Have plenty of nonperishable food and bottled water on hand, along with a manual can opener and coolers. Invest in a gas grill and have a few, full tanks of propane available at all times. With our grill, we were able to creatively make coffee in the morning, as well as heat up meals. With an electric stove, it was impossible to have a hot meal, otherwise. I was able to obtain dry ice to save the food in my large chest freezer and I used two large coolers for refrigerated food.
   
• Invest in a Generator. We always talked about getting a generator – just in case. During the power outage, there wasn’t a generator available for purchase anywhere. During the middle of the week, trucks loaded with them started arriving in Connecticut and were parked on just about every street corner. The day our power was restored, my husband had purchased a generator earlier in the day for $849.00 from a gentleman from Oklahoma who was accepting credit cards. We had it running for three hours when our power was restored. Did we feel like we wasted our money? Nope! The next time we lose power, we’ll be prepared. How? We’re going to pay an electrician to hardwire the generator to our furnace so we will have oil heat and hot water, as well as power for our refrigerator, freezer, lighting, computer, cell phone charging and television. Keep in mind that you should refrain from using items with heating elements, such as clothes dryers, toasters and blow dryers. Understand how to use a generator properly and never place the exhaust facing your home. Oh, and don’t forget to have plenty of full gasoline cans and oil to power it up!
   
• Communication. My cell phone didn’t work. The provider’s cell phone tower was down, along with two other major cell phone providers’ towers. I had no way to make phone calls or text. My landline requires electricity to work, so that wasn’t an option, either. Perhaps those old rotary phones aren’t so bad, huh? 

What did I learn from this? It is worth it to pay more to have an account with a strong cell phone company, as well as a phone with email and Internet access. When I was able to get gasoline on Day 4, I drove to a major provider in another state, purchased an iPhone and was able to communicate with others and receive emergency updates from my town on Facebook. In addition, make sure you have a vehicle charger for your cell phone.

• Shelters. Even the most affluent in our state used the services of local shelters that were set up in schools and senior centers. Hotels that did have power were booked for hundreds of miles around, so many people had no place else to go for warmth, food, water, hot showers and in many cases, running water. If you have a well, you will not have water from faucets or be able to flush your toilet. Don’t be shy about using shelters set up in your area – they’re arranged for this sort of circumstance!
   
• Batteries. Have tons of batteries available for flashlights and the radio that will keep you on top of what’s going on outside of your home. Without my battery-operated radio, I would have no clue what was happening in the state or where the nearest shelter was set up.
   
• Prescriptions. Most pharmacies in the area were closed during the height of the power outage, so make sure you have enough medication on hand. My husband ran out of his cholesterol pills the day our power was restored and my dog’s seizure medication was running low. Thankfully, I was able to refill these prescriptions without missing a beat.
   
• Don’t Forget Your Pets! Remember, your pets depend on you for food, water, medication and warmth. Always have an ample supply of what your pet needs to survive, as well. 

Miscellaneous Items. Other items that came in handy during the power outage were:

• Candles
• Chainsaw blades
• Personal hygiene products, particularly for women
• Clean clothing, especially underwear!
• Clean towels and dish cloths
• Dish detergent
• Paper/plastic plates, cups and utensils
• Games and cards

The items listed above are my personal ideas and what worked for me. Make sure you have your own list in place that’s tailored to you and your family’s needs. 

Online Business Preparation

If you prepare for a catastrophe by taking into account the items I shared above, you should be able to continue working seamlessly in an online business during an extended power outage. Unfortunately, I wasn’t completely prepared to sustain my business during our own outage, but I am grateful to have the most fantastic, loving clients who are scattered throughout the United States and Canada. They were understanding and concerned – but I refuse to let them and their work suffer again, due to my unpreparedness.

Here’s what I learned to maintain business operations:

• Again, Invest in a Generator! Although we had no electricity, our cable Internet was still running. We realized this when we powered up our generator and plugged the extension cord into the cable outlet and the television worked. This also meant we could power my two desktop computers.
   
• Invest in a Laptop. If your cable Internet is not working, it is wise to have a laptop. This way, you can use Wi-Fi, work off the battery and recharge it using the power from your generator. If you don’t have a generator, you can charge the battery at a local shelter. That is, if you have enough gasoline in your vehicle to drive to the shelter!

Make sure your laptop has enough capacity to house programs that you’d normally use on your desktop with and for clients. For instance, I use specialty products frequently in my business; therefore, it would be smart for me to include these programs on my laptop, as well as any other software that cannot be accessed online.

• Computer Backup Resources. I rely on a reputable online backup service. This way, I can retrieve files any time I need them. However, if their server is ever down (which, it never has been) I also depend on my external hard drive for instant file retrieval.
   
• Write Down Important Information. Keep a hard copy list of client phone numbers, email addresses, assignments and deadlines handy.

If you own an online business working from home, put in place all your home needs first. Then, build on that for your business. Again, customize the list to your particular needs.

In Conclusion

Our state is slowly returning to normal. We are picking up where we left off and getting back into our regular routines. Please, do not wait to prepare for a catastrophe. Get ready NOW. It can mean the difference between life, death, the survival needs of you and your family and the sustenance of your business so you can continue generating revenue even during the worst of times.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the following details with it: 

Known as the “everything ezine” expert, Allison Fede is passionate about partnering with life and business coaches who want more clients and a steady flow of income.

Allison educates coaches on how to use their ezines to make more money through group workshops and private consultations. Besides sharing her ezine marketing expertise, she offers quality ezine design services, as well as life and business coach virtual assistance. Her biggest joy is to collaborate with clients on building and sustaining their practices through effective business and marketing planning and execution.