Disaster recovery businesses have to be prepared for anything (and your business should be, too)
Posted On March 27, 2020
Did you know that, according to government statistics, nearly 70 percent of businesses affected by a major disaster will go out of business within the next two years?
Russell Fountain’s business is to help companies and organizations avoid that fate. Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” Fountain is the owner of Global Disaster Solutions, a construction consulting and disaster recovery company that helps businesses, hospitals, schools and individuals deal with the aftermath of disasters – natural or otherwise.
Fountain started his business after 15 years as an insurance adjuster and a decade of working for one of the world’s largest disaster recovery firms. He says preparation is paramount to effective disaster recovery – and it’s in preparation where many companies fall short.
“I think many times over they’re not prepared in terms of their response,” he says. “They’re not prepared, sometimes, in terms of the proper insurance. Maybe they don’t have flood insurance and it’s a flooding event. Maybe they have insurance but, as it turns out, they don’t’ have loss of business income insurance. … It could be many things like that.”
Fountain shares with us how the recovery process usually works, from the phone ringing off the hook as a hurricane approaches to the priorities on the day after it hits. He discusses the importance of professional alliances and partnerships within the industry, shares how advances in technology like Google Earth and virtual walkthroughs make his work more efficient, and tells us about some of his more unique and challenging jobs, including the cleanup of a cruise ship that caught fire.
We also discuss the controversial topic of global warming and how it may be affecting his business.
“Over the last 10 to 15 years in particular, I see a lot more devastating flooding events. … I see more destructive big-wedge tornadoes that seemingly didn’t occur with the same frequency years ago,” he says. “I believe in global warming. I do think it is creating more events. I think the events are getting larger.”
Fountain was also kind enough to offer our listeners a pre-disaster checklist of the top 10 things you need to have ready in event of a disaster coming. Check out the podcast to learn how you can get it.