The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is recommending that local enterprises make preparations and formulate ‘business continuity plans’ (BCP) that will ensure they continue functioning in the event of a devastating storm.

Whilst attending the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) forum on Hurricane Readiness and Resilience on Tuesday, June 10, acting ODPEM Director Richard Thompson called on businesspersons to create the necessary contingencies to ensure they can survive any possible deluge and resume their operations in as quick a timeframe as possible.

Thompson placed heavy emphasis on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) needing to adopt fail-safes, noting that as they represented up to 97 per cent of Jamaican businesses and employed nearly 80 per cent of the population, it was key that they didn’t collapse under the strain induced by a hurricane.

“Having a BCP is critical,” he declared. “It allows businesses to anticipate, mitigate against and resolve issues relating to disasters and restore normal function in the shortest possible time.”

On July 3, 2024, when Category 5 Hurricane Beryl brushed the southern coast of Jamaica, economic activities came to a halt. When the storm passed, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and telecoms providers were unable to fully restore service in hard-hit sections of the island for months.

Thompson noted that many MSMEs were badly affected by this lack of electricity, as much of their data was lost or inaccessible in the interim. He strongly urged entrepreneurs to develop backup sources of power and information storage as part of their business continuity plans.

“If there is a hurricane, you [may be] unable to recover your business plans, business concepts and procedures,” he stressed. “It is critical to ensure that you are planning your recovery process…and set out a framework using vital records that are stored off-site…for the continuation of vital business processes.”