When Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, it became the new worst-case scenario of emergency preparedness. Few disasters rival the scale of Katrina’s destruction. The storm destroyed communications, ruined homes and businesses, immobilized the population, and made hundreds of thousands of people instantly destitute. Businesses in New Orleans lost billions of dollars in revenue and thousands were forced to declare bankruptcy.

Disasters like Katrina, Hurricane Juan that slammed Halifax, the Quebec ice storm, B.C. forest fires, and the Ontario blackout of 2004, all remind us of the fixed nature of the retail business. When disasters strike, there’s no way to move your store out of the path of destruction. All retailers can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

This guide offers some practical tips to help you prepare an emergency plan for your store.

In this guide, you'll learn about:

• Sizing up disasters
• Talking to people and employees
• Protecting your data
• Insurance
• Prepping for the severe winter storm
• Emergency checklist
• Additional resources