The simple answer is to
stay in business. The statistics are alarming.
FEMA has found that 40% of small businesses never reopen
after a disaster.
When Hurricane Hugo struck in
1989, parts of the Lowcountry were without electricity for a
month. Even 80 miles inland, Berkeley County experienced wind gusts
up to 120 mph and killed eight residents. Will your
business be able to reopen quickly after the next major
hurricane?
Charleston
is the fourth largest seaport in the nation. Literally,
tons of goods are transported by truck and rail every day.
Have you considered the proximity of your business to
railroads that carry chemicals and other dangerous
materials? Eight people died from inhaling chlorine gas and
over 5,000 thousand were evacuated when 16 freight cars
derailed in Graniteville, South Carolina on January 6,
2005. Would you know what to do if a chemical spill
happened near your business?
In a 2001 study conducted by
FEMA, Charleston ranked among the top 40 cities in the
nation for high-loss potential due to an earthquake. In
1886, Charleston experienced one of the largest historic
earthquakes in eastern North America, and by far the largest
earthquake in the southeastern United States with an
estimated magnitude between 6.9 and 7.3.
In 2004, researchers from the
Charleston Seismic Hazard Analysis Consortium estimated 14
billion dollars in damage and potentially 900 fatalities
with 45,000 injuries if Charleston experienced another 6 or
higher magnitude earthquake. And it's likely to happen. The
Consortium reported that 137 earthquakes had been located
in the Middleton-Place-Summerville Seismic Zone (MPSSZ) from
1996 through 2003. Do you know the standard safety
procedures to take during an earthquake?
