Companies must plan for disaster, experts say

While the US Small Business Administration has received 11,000 applications for disaster loans from businesses that were damaged by Hurricane Irene, James Rivera, associate administrator of the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance, said he believes that number would be much smaller if those businesses had been prepared for disaster before it struck.

PhillyBurbs also reminds that September is National Preparedness Month in the United States and gives 10 tips for preparing a disaster plan, which includes risk assessment, the creation of an emergency management plan and a crisis communications plan, "it doesn’t matter where you live. Being prepared just helps."