The impact of disasters is more than just physical.
Protect yourself and your loved ones by preparing your personal and professional information before an emergency.
Preparing as a business owner
Business owners have more than just their business to consider when a disaster strikes. Planning for your staff, your clients, and your customers can help you prepare for any emergency.
The Australian and Victorian Governments have resources available for business owners to both prepare and recover in times of emergency.
Preparing your insurance
If you and your family were affected by an emergency, could you repair, replace, or rebuild your most valued assets and possessions? Prepare financially in case an emergency impacts you before things go wrong.
It is encouraged that you check your insurer every year to ensure that your policy provides you with appropriate cover in the case that you may need to rebuild.
It is important to understand if your policy covers items such as emergency accommodation or removal of debris, separate to the cost of demolition or replacement. Similarly, you may consider whether your policy will pay to replace your items at current market price or whether it takes depreciation into account and therefore will pay less for older items.
Make a home inventory
Replacing items is much easier if you have an accurate home inventory. Creating an inventory can be as simple as taking a video and/or photos of your belongings in each room of your home. This includes items outside of your home, such as fences, retaining walls, and contents of shed and garages.
You can store these videos and/or photos in your Emergency Kit or online to access if required.
The Victorian Government has resources available to help you learn more about insuring your belongings.
Preparing for your mental health
While you may have a plan to save yourself, your family, and your home in an emergency, have you considered how disasters can impact the mental health of you and your loved ones?
When it comes to disasters, the events that occur after the emergency can be just as damaging to your mental health as the events that occur during the emergency.
If you have experienced an emergency, delaying getting support can result in a slower recovery or compounding mental health issues.
Australian Psychological Society provides guides and resources to help you learn more about how disasters can impact mental health and how you can support yourself and your loved ones.