The purpose of this "Building A Disaster Resistant Business" activity is to provide you with information to help you begin the process of preparing a written plan to insure your business survives the next disaster.

It is now December 12, three months after Zena's landfall. In the shops, marinas and streets of Hazardville, crowds of tourists meander, the sun is shining, the skies are blue and the temperature is 71 degrees. It is another blissful day in Paradise, and the only reminders of the fury of three months ago are scattered fresh tree stumps, heavy equipment delivering and grading new beach sand in several storm washed areas, and the banging of hammers as minor repairs to several structures are being completed. The community's economy is booming, and all is well in Hazardville.

This scenario is immediately deemed as utopian fiction - memories of the devastation caused by hurricanes Hugo and Andrew spring to mind. No community could withstand such a powerful blow and come back to prosperity so quickly - RIGHT?

WRONG. Hazardville is a model Disaster Resistant Community in which all sectors have come together to identify common threats and fund preventative measures to reduce potential damage from future disasters. As part of Hazardville's disaster mitigation initiative, businesses took the opportunity to identify the hazards they face and assess their vulnerability to these hazards. Written Continuity of Operations (Disaster) Plans were prepared and funds made available to help reduce damage and loss of life from the next disasters.

This survey is designed to help businesses understand the risks they face and gain a stronger understanding of the measures that need to be taken so that they can become a "Disaster Resistant Business".