Home Emergency Preparedness

This is an article I have updated a few times over the past few years.  I thought that it is worth posting again.

Are you prepared for an emergency?  There are some areas of the world where they have become accustomed to evacuating their homes at a moments notice.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, and forest fires are just some of the   natural disasters that affect people’s lives annually.  As a result, people who live in areas plagued by these events have 72 hour kits that allow them to leave home quickly, and be prepared to live away from home for at least 3 days.  Many have suitcases packed to help them live for up to a week without access to their home.

The basics around a 72 hour emergency kit are:
1. Know the risks
2. Make a plan
3. Get a Kit

5 Ways For Your Business To Have Good Credit

Often, as a commercial lender, I have companies inquire as to how they can make their organization credit worthy.  Many times lenders struggle getting financing approved due to the lack of some key required information.  I would like to take this opportunity to go over some basic information that may help your company secure financing.  Also note, much of the information I request is also very useful information for yourselves and the management of your company.

   1.  Updated Information

The most important step is keep up to date financial information.  Most lending institutions require at least annual financial statements.  This will include the minimum of an Income/Expense Report and a Balance Sheet.  This reporting provides a snap shot of your business year to date and needs to be completed within 90 to 120 days of your company’s yearend.  Completion of the same will also result in reporting to CRA (Canada Revenue Agencies) as required and is typically completed by your accounting firm.

Business Emergency Planning

In the past I have posted articles about being personally prepared for an emergency, and my focus was specifically on 72 hour kits and evacuations, whether because of an emergency in your home or a more widespread emergency in the community.

As we have seen in this past couple of weeks, it is very important to be prepared personally, but it also important to have your business prepared for a disaster.

Developing The Plan
Here are some points to consider when developing your Emergency response Plan or Business Continuity Plan:

 - Identify the purpose of your business, who you serve and what you do for them.

 - Identify the critical services you must provide and the resources you need to provide them.

 - Identify the most probable disasters, such as fire, flood, snow storm, electricity outage, phone service outage, lack of staff (sick or can’t travel…).

 - Look at the impacts of the disasters on your business.  Many impacts can be grouped into a few categories: 

• no reduction in resources, 
• a reduction in resources, 
• complete or almost complete lack of resources.

 - These impacts then determine what you can do:

Prepared for an Emergency?

This is an article I have updated a few times over the past few years.  I thought that with the hurricanes shutting down much of the eastern coast this week that it was worth posting again.

Are you prepared for an emergency?  There are some areas of the world where they have become accustomed to evacuating their homes at a moments notice.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, and forest fires are just some of the natural disasters that affect people’s lives annually.  As a result, people who live in areas plagued by these events have 72 hour kits that allow them to leave home quickly, and be prepared to live away from home for at least 3 days.  Many have suitcases packed to help them live for up to a week without access to their home.

The basics around a 72 hour emergency kit are:
1. Know the risks
2. Make a plan
3. Get a Kit

Fraud Prevention Month

March is Fraud Prevention month.

I have written several articles for this blog about fraud over the past few years.  My goal with each article is to help people recognize fraud and to help them warn others about it as well. 

Fraud covers a lot of categories; from identity theft to lying about damage to a home that is for sale, from stealing a credit card to billing someone for work that was never done.

Two of the most famous types of fraud are the Nigerian Prince Letter Scam and the International Lottery Scam.

The Nigerian Prince Letter Scam is quite old and is so-named because the letters originally said they were from a Nigerian Prince who is a prisoner in his country after a violent government turn over.  The Prince has money in another country but cannot access it.  If you would be willing to send money to a contact that will bribe the guards keeping the Prince under house arrest, he could sneak out of the country and then reward you with millions of dollars for the help.  The reality is if you send money they will keep asking for more as long as you are willing to send it.

72 Hour Emergency Kits Are Important

This is a repost of an article I wrote back in Nov of 2009.  I thought that with the recent evacuations around Alberta and the Rocky area that it was worth posting again.

Are you prepared for an emergency?  There are some areas of the world where they have become accustomed to evacuating their homes at a moments notice.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, and forest fires are just some of the natural disasters that affect people’s lives annually.  As a result, people who live in areas plagued by these events have 72 hour kits that allow them to leave home quickly, and be prepared to live away from home for at least 3 days.  Many have suitcases packed to help them live for up to a week without access to their home.

The basics around a 72 hour emergency kit are:
1. Know the risks
2. Make a plan
3. Get a Kit