A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) describes how a business continues operations if it is adversely affected by a disaster. It is very important that businesses take steps to plan to remain open or re-open in a timely manner after disasters. Businesses are an important part of Jackson County’s economy, and many resources are available to help you with your planning efforts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that 25% of businesses do not re-open after a natural disaster and 43% do not re-open after catastrophic data loss. Additionally, nearly 75% of businesses without Business Continuity Plans fail within three years of a natural disaster.

Businesses are vulnerable to both physical impacts of disaster (such as damage to buildings and infrastructure) and collateral impacts. Collateral impacts occur when the business itself isn’t damaged, but when customers are unable to access the business. Examples of collateral damage include:

• If access to your business is damaged (such as from an internet outage or damage to the street on which your business is located.)
• A closure that impacts your ability to provide services. For example, if you own a river guide service, a river closure due to a wildfire could mean a loss of revenue for you.
• Inability to get supplies or services you need in order to conduct business due to a disaster in another area of the county, the state or the world.

The following links provide guidance on Business Continuity Planning as well as links to sample documents and templates.
Ready.gov
FEMA
Additional resources may be available locally from:
SOREDI (Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc.)
Southern Oregon University Small Business Development Center