Electronic document management is just a portion of your disaster recovery plan. Businesses should develop crisis communications, business continuity, and IT recovery plans before a disaster hits. FEMA’s website, www.ready.gov, has a wealth of information on how to complete each plan. It is a good idea to run through your plan before the emergency. Doing so will expose any holes that exist in your plan, giving you the opportunity to fix them before it’s too late. While insurance is just a small part of your overall disaster plan, it is a good idea to review your policy before you need to file a claim. Understanding what is covered and what you’re left to take care of will help to lessen the blow during the recovery process. You should also review your policy limits to ensure you can afford to rebuild. Assess the damage through a written and photographic inventory before the disaster strikes to give you a better idea of what needs to be replaced and how much it will cost. Eliminating some of the work ahead of time will help to limit the amount of stress you feel during what will be a very stressful time. Don’t become one of the 40% of businesses forced to close their doors at the hands of Mother Nature. By ensuring that your company’s vital documents are secure, having a disaster mitigation plan, and reviewing your insurance and emergency policies before hand, you will be in good shape should disaster hit. The cleanup process might be long, stressful, and heartbreaking, but you will have a head start on the road to recovery.