Quake shakes belief in readiness

As administrative manager for an Encino dental practice, Melody LeBlanc had trained the staff on what to do when an earthquake hits. Even her husband knew the rules for handling a disaster.

But when the Chino Hills quake hit last month, one worker ran across the room and headed outside while patients looked around in panic for someone to tell them what to do. Then her husband called to ask if she had felt the moderate 5.4 temblor.

It was, of course, exactly what people were not supposed to do, said LeBlanc, who also co-chairs the disaster preparation committee at the Encino Chamber of Commerce.

Her staff knew they were supposed to drop to the ground and take cover. They knew to take patients to a window-free corner of the office. Her husband knew to stay off the phone for the first 30 minutes after a disaster to allow emergency calls to get through.

“Here we are, the big activist, always pushing hard and talking to everybody, and the first thing that happens is everybody reverts back to things they remembered from when they were 10 years old,” LeBlanc said.

The chamber, of which she is a past president, has made disaster preparation a priority.

The scene that day was an eye-opener for a woman who gives earthquake preparation kits as Christmas presents and has long stocked the office kitchen with emergency supplies, including water and canned goods.

It could serve as a wake-up call for your small business, too.

Next month is National Preparedness Month. The motto -- “Get a kit, make a plan, be informed. and get involved” -- could be a mini-checklist for small-business owners who intend to stay in business after an earthquake or other disaster.

Locally, the Great Southern California ShakeOut, which is based on successful drills held in Japan, is scheduled for November. The organizers plan to release a preparedness booklet for small and medium-size businesses next month.

Here’s a sneak peak at their advice:

Seven steps small businesses can take to prepare for a disaster:

* Identify and fix potential hazards. These can be as obvious as filing cabinets or display cases that have not been secured to the walls. Less obvious: boxes on a shelf next to an emergency exit. A good shake can knock them down and block the door.

Ask your employees for input. Tour your space, inside and outside. Learn where the utilities are located. Don’t forget to look up.

* Create a disaster plan. Start with simple questions. How will you survive the disaster itself? Who will you need to communicate with and how will you do so? What are the key equipment, data, inventory and functions your firm needs to operate? How will you protect them? Where will you set up shop if you cannot get back into your building for an unknown period of time?

General guidelines can be found at a number of sites online, including ready.gov.

More comprehensive planning strategies, such as learning about the different ways to back up data off-site, and how to test the process, are in books such as the newly released second edition of “Prepare for the Worse, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Small Business” (John Wiley & Sons Inc.) by Donna R. Childs.

* Prepare a disaster-supplies kit. You’ll need more than a first-aid kit.

Supplies should cover the basics for survival: water, food and warmth. You’ll need enough for you, your employees and any customers on hand for at least three days, although based on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many experts now recommend stocking two-week’s worth of supplies.

“Here is the thing many businesses don’t think about,” said Ines Pearce, chief executive of Pearce Global Partners Inc. in Los Angeles and the head writer of the booklet. “Institutions such as 911 are not going to be available, so if you have someone injured or you need to stay put for a while, these are the types of things that will take care of you.”

Gear as simple as a crowbar could help pry open jammed doors. An AM/FM radio with extra batteries is an obvious next step up. A generator wired into emergency systems may seem like a luxury but could keep your business in operation when the power is out.

LeBlanc said she makes sure employees at the dental office owned by Dr. Stephen Y. Yu have personal disaster-supply backpacks with food and water in their cars as well as in their homes.

* Identify your building’s potential weaknesses. These can be such major items as unreinforced brick walls to seemingly minor issues such as doors with electronic locks or equipment on timers.

If you lease space, talk with the property manager or owner about the construction of the building and the specifics of any emergency plan, including contact information. At home, consider hiring a structural engineer to give you a construction assessment.

“In disaster after disaster I have seen [owners of] small businesses standing outside, and they cannot get in,” Pearce said.

Many companies will not survive. An estimated 25% of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster, according to figures from the Institute for Business and Home Safety, an association of insurance companies noted in Childs’ book.

* Learn how to protect yourself and employees during an earthquake. Drop, cover and hold. That means drop to the ground, cover your head -- under a desk or table if possible -- and hold on to the piece of furniture.

There are no requirements yet for earthquake drills at small businesses, but don’t let that stop you. The only way to overcome the natural impulse to flee is to practice the drill often. That’s when you may discover such things as boxes stuffed under desks or tables that make it hard for employees to take cover.

* After a disaster hits, check for injuries and damage. If you or your employees know basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or have been trained in emergency response, you’ll have an easier time dealing with any injuries. The Los Angeles County Fire Department is one public group that offers free Community Emergency Response Team training.

Walk the perimeter of the two-story building to check for hazards such as fires, leaks and structural damage. Assess the condition of the crucial equipment and other items listed in your disaster plan.

* When safe, continue to follow your disaster plan. You can use lessons learned following a disaster, or even a drill, to go back to step one and modify your plans.

The key to a disaster-resilient business is to make sure the owner and top managers lead the planning efforts and that preparedness is woven into your company’s daily activities.

“If business doesn’t protect itself, then the business is going to be out of business,” LeBlanc said. “And then the community is out of business.”

--

cyndia.zwahlen@latimes.com

--

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

10 cost-free steps

Here are measures your small business can take to prepare for a disaster. For an extended list with steps that cost less than $500, such as buying a fire extinguisher, and those that cost more than $500, such as installing a generator, check out the free downloads at ready.gov.

* Review insurance coverage with your provider.

* Create evacuation and shelter safety procedures; practice them.

* Talk with employees about the disaster plan.

* Create an emergency contact list.

* Learn what kind of emergencies might affect your small business.

* Decide ahead of time what you can do if your building becomes unusable.

* Create a list of inventory and equipment.

* Ask utility companies about backup options.

* Promote family and individual preparedness among employees.

* Make emergency preparedness part of daily procedures and communications.

Source: www.ready.gov