Exercise - Mission

With the mission of bringing North Florida's business community together to work through how employees should collectively help the workplace plan and prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate the effects of a HURRICANE, the following organizations undertook the coordination of this very unique disaster exercise.

• Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross
• Gadsden County Board of Commissioners
• Gadsden County Emergency Management

This three hour tabletop exercise provided business leaders and company employees an opportunity to learn the importance of working together when disaster strikes. Participants worked within their workplace group as they undertook coordination of activities such as business planning and preparedness, threat assessment, needs assessment and continuity of operations.

Exercise - Participants Represented The Following Types Of Businesses

• Small Companies (1 to 10 employees)
• Mid-Size Companies (11 to 25 employees)
• Large Companies (26 employees and up)
• Food Service
• Grocery Store
• Health Care
• Hotel / Motel
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Professional
• Sales
• Wholesale
• Non Profit Agencies

Exercise - Method

During the exercise participants are required to call various fellow employees and vendors to discuss action items that should be taken as the workplace plans and prepares for, responds to and recovers from Hurricane Biz, so participants are asked to bring a cell phone and important phone numbers.

Exercise - Benefits

In addition to the lessons employees and / or volunteers will learn by taking part in this unique exercise, each participating organization will receive a free BUSINESS DISASTER RESPONSE KIT and useful door prizes such as NOAA Weather Radios will be given away.

Exercise - Business Hazard Identification / Vulnerability Assessment

Organizations who participate in the Hurricane Biz - A Business Tabletop Exercise are asked to complete a Business Hazard Identification / Vulnerability Assessment (HIVA) prior to the exercise.

Copies of the Business Hazard Identification / Vulnerability Assessment completed by the participants of the Hurricane Biz - A Business Tabletop Exercise can be found at:

Exercise - Preparing And Preparedness Resources

Vital on-line information on how to prepare individuals, families, neighborhoods and the workplace for a hurricane can be found at:

Exercise - Registration