You may have seen the dramatic video footage on TV last month of homes in Lake Delton, Wis., being washed away by flood waters into the Wisconsin River. While not nearly as spectacular, the Rock River in Fort Atkinson, Wis., where Progressive Distributor is based, also flooded its banks for the second time this year, forcing some local businesses to temporarily close and homeowners to seek higher ground.

The Midwest has also been hammered by tornadoes, some with devastating results and loss of life. Unfortunately, our part of the country is not alone when it comes to weathering natural disasters, as people in the hurricane-prone Gulf region and Atlantic coast, and victims of wildfires on the West Coast, know all too well.

These types of events serve as reminders to distributors to think about how to handle the interruptions in business that storms and other disasters can cause. Many distributors have developed written contingency plans covering important topics such as how to communicate with employees, customers and suppliers if power outages occur. They also have detailed plans for backing up important data, servers, phones and other business systems.

They keep duplicate copies of important paperwork offsite and have thoroughly studied their insurance coverage, spoken to brokers and agents to know what their policies allow and learn where to go for information if an emergency arises. They also have backup plans in case their warehouse or office space is damaged or destroyed, or if key employees can’t make it to work.

By the time this issue goes to press, the Rock River will likely be back to normal levels. But the stormy summer season has only just begun. Smart business people should take the time now to think about how their businesses can handle the next emergency Mother Nature sends their way.

This editorial appeared in the July/August 2008 issue of Progressive Distributor. Copyright 2008.