Small businesses to get tips on preparing for disasters

The disaster preparedness workshop, being held from 9 a.m. to noon, is being presented by the Southeastern Louisiana University Small Business Development Center in conjunction with the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation, Northshore Harbor Center, East and West St. Tammany Chambers of Commerce and SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business).

The interactive workshop will feature Donna Childs, founder and CEO of a small business on Wall Street that was in "Zone 1" of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, said SBDC Assistant Director Sandy Summers.

"Childs will share her story of how her business survived one of the worst tragedies in U.S. history and offer other business people a framework for preparing their families and businesses for major and minor disasters," Summers said.

Participants will learn secrets for cost-effective insurance coverage from an industry insider.

They also will receive information on how to formulate an effective disaster plan, which will yield immediate insurance savings and other benefits to their businesses even if disaster never strikes.

During the past seven years, Childs has spoken to small-business owners throughout the country on how to prepare for and recover from all types of disasters, from fire and hurricanes to terrorist attacks.

Childs also shares tips and secrets in her newly published book, "Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Small Business."

Summers said that some free copies of Child's book will be given away, and all participants will receive a free disaster kit from the SBDC. The kit includes a comprehensive disaster planning toolkit booklet, a camera, flashlight, batteries, a jump drive and other essentials, all in a waterproof bag.

Pre-registration is encouraged to ensure enough disaster kits are available. For information or to pre-register, contact the Southeastern Small Business Development Center at (985) 549-3831 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Published on NOLA.com Wednesday, July 30, 2008 2:16 p.m.

Published in The Times-Picayune Thursday, July 31, 2008