TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida businesses have a new way to prepare for and react to natural disasters like hurricanes.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity created the website FloridaDisaster.biz, which has information on preparing a business in advance of a storm, as well as where to look for help if your shop has been damaged during a disaster.
This includes links to short-term loan programs, damage surveys and local emergency contacts.
The DEO Executive Director says the economic impact is felt by the whole community each day a business does not open its doors.
"The community relies on businesses, and the employees that work in those businesses also do," said Cissy Proctor, the executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity. "So, the quicker the businesses open up, the quicker a community gets back to feeling normal. Then they are going to recover even that much faster."
She says most shop owners have proper plans for their individual families and homes in advance of a disaster, but it's not unusual for shop owners to be ill-prepared when it comes to their businesses.
DEO says the better prepared a business is before a storm hits, the sooner it can re-open afterward.
