The Atlantic hurricane season starts on Sunday, June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the best time to prepare is now — well before the start of the season. With that in mind, the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) hosted a luncheon on May 1 at The Regent focused on disaster preparedness.
The Synergy Luncheon: Disaster Preparedness event was planned by the chamber’s Government & Economic Affairs Council (GEAC) and was designed to help businesses stay resilient in the face of unexpected disasters.
High 5 Inc. CEO Chuck Burgess facilitated a panel discussion. Panel members included Joshua Wyche, regional affairs manager for special projects at Tampa Electric; Chris Kranert, director of field operations at Spectrum; and Robert Pierce III, senior business continuity and resilience consultant at Hillsborough County Economic Development. The event also included a video message regarding the state of insurance from Senator Jim Boyd, District 20.
Pierce told attendees it is important for businesses to assess their vulnerabilities and to have a plan and practice it with employees.
“Do a business impact analysis. Take a look at where your vulnerabilities are. Look at a couple what-if scenarios and then march through some of those what-if scenarios and figure out how you are going to retool your business to continue to produce revenue,” Pierce said.
“You have to have the plan to cover your home needs so you can be prepared for your business needs,” Wyche said. He emphasized that the time is now to get trees trimmed.
Kranert explained the backup systems that are in place should there be an extended power outage.
“To prepare for telecom interruptions, the two biggest things you need to consider are power and connectivity. If for some reason your business doesn’t have power, you should have some sort of battery backup to get you through the day. If for some reason the service isn’t restored to your business, a wireless internet backup would be an option for connectivity,” Kranert said.
Additional topics discussed included the protocol for power restoration, communication from utilities to residents, resources for residents still in recovery from the 2024 season, Hillsborough County’s alert system for local emergencies and the county’s evacuation plan and priorities for the Brandon area.
For information about Hillsborough County’s mass notification system, visit https://hcfl.gov/residents/public-safety/emergency-management/hcfl-alert.
For information about the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce and upcoming events, visit www.brandonchamber.com.
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