December 4, 2007; 10:05 AM
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration and Nationwide
Mutual Insurance Company have teamed up to launch a disaster planning guide
for small business owners. SBA Deputy Administrator Jovita Carranza
and Nationwide’s Associate Vice President for Safety Bill Windsor made
the announcement today during an event at the National Press Club.
The
10-page guide provides information business owners need to develop
an effective plan to protect customers and employees in the event of
a disaster. The guide provides key disaster preparedness strategies to
help small businesses identify potential hazards, create plans to remain
in operation if the office is unusable, and understand the limitations
of their insurance coverage.
“The most successful recovery efforts are
always preceded by good planning,” said Carranza. “The more preparation that
businesses complete before a disaster, the better able they are to rebuild
and reopen quickly after a disaster.”
“Disasters can have a
devastating impact on small businesses,” said Windsor. “How quickly those
businesses can get up and running after a disaster can have a significant
impact on a community’s ability to recovery. Understanding this, the SBA and
Nationwide have created this guide to help business owners get their arms
around the disaster planning process, and convince them to mitigate their
risk.”
Hard copies of the guide will be distributed by SBA field offices,
its resource partners around the country and disaster field
offices. Nationwide will make additional copies available to its agents
for distribution. An electronic version of the guide will be available
online at
www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html, and
at www.nationwide.com
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the
largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the
world, with more than $160 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks #104 on the
Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and
financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm,
commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual
funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity
services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
The SBA is
the federal government’s primary post-disaster economic recovery agency.
Homeowners may borrow at favorable rates up to $200,000 to repair or replace
damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to
personal property.
Non-farm businesses and non-profit organizations of
any size may apply for up to $1.5 million to repair or replace disaster
damaged business assets and real property. Small businesses that suffered
economic losses as a direct result of the declared disaster may apply for a
working capital loan of up to $1.5 million. To learn more about the SBA’s
disaster assistance program, visit the Web site at
http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html.
Other Press Releases by This Company Year-End Tax Savings for Small Business Owners To Highlight SBA’s December Live Web Chat - December 11, 2007 SBA National Ombudsman Recognizes Six Federal Agencies for Regulatory - November 16, 2007 SBA's New Patriot Express Loan Initiative Shows Strong Early Success - November 8, 2007 |