$503 billion is the gross domestic product of the Houston-Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area, as of 2015. The economy in Houston is equivalent to that of the country Sweden. “After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas two weeks ago, jobless claims surged to the highest level in more than two years. Irma has the potential to be even worse.”
With 40% of all US exports to Latin and South America passing through Florida, and an additional production of 67% of the US oranges (40% of the global orange juice supply), Florida is an essential player in our economy. The United Nations High Council on Refugees reported that over the past 20 years, the number of recorded natural disasters has doubled.
Over the next five years, IBISWorld projects that revenue for the Natural Disaster and Emergency Relief Service industry in the US will grow at an average annual rate of 2.0% to reach $11.3 billion in 2022. United Nations research suggests that rising sea levels will likely increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
As a company doing business within areas of vulnerability or even just affected by the events in this geographic region, what can you do to protect yourself?
“Hurricanes have the ability to halt business functionality
and growth and can effectively disable entire economic
regions during times of rebuilding.” – BIOS Technologies
Richard Gurley, Vice President of Response Services at Pinkerton, states that a critical first step in disaster preparation is mapping your supply chain. To be fully prepared Gurley advises companies to answer the following questions:
- If a key vendor’s facilities go down, how long can you go without having their product?
- Are their alternative sources for that product?
- Can you build a surplus of the product before the vendor closes?
- If you have to slow your production, how will this be communicated? How will it affect your brand’s reputation?
Being prepared takes time and research. We can help.