Disasters – planning for the worst

This country of fire, drought and flooding rains has certainly lived up to its reputation in recent years, and according to scientists, things could get a lot worse. We hear a lot in the news about households that have been affected by natural disasters, but what about small businesses? The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Bilson, has recently toured Australia’s regional disaster zones to answer that very question by holding 36 community consultations. What he found was that many businesses need to be more tuned in to what can happen in a disaster, and he offers advice on how to plan, prepare and become more resilient.