Preparedness,
Supply and Demand
Well, the
weather tested our preparedness again.
Some of us did ok, some of us not so ok. I’ve been preaching
preparedness and self-reliance since helping form the Greater Maple Valley Emergency Preparedness
Committee and EOC in 1993. Some of my friends
call me the Princess of Preparedness. I
bet my Miata is better stocked for survival than most SUV’s (although it is
absolutely worthless in the snow). Mock
me if you will but a preparedness plan that includes self-reliance can mean the
difference between inconvenience and disaster.
Being
personally prepared and self-reliant extends beyond self – it extends to the
preparedness of the entire community. Stress
and need are ultimately passed on to others in the community, whether it’s
first responders, family members, or a business. We know resources and supplies are exhausted
quickly when the supply chain is interrupted.
Fuel supplies are a perfect example and one which I have first-hand
experience. When the gas station is cut
off from tanker deliveries due to snow, ice, flooding, or earthquakes, we’ve
got what we got, there is no more. Add a
power outage to the mix and only a hand full of stations in the entire county
can pump fuel which only further compounds the supply shortage. Same
with groceries and water supplies. The
stores have what they have until the next semi can deliver the goods and that
can only happen if their employees can get to work. The preparedness message is to
keep vehicle fuel tanks topped off, generators in working order, alternate cooking
and heating sources accessible, and propane tanks full.
We tend to
put off creating preparedness plans until, of course, the crisis hits. Now that it is fresh in our minds, this is a
perfect time to make a plan, share the plan, and have it available to all family
members and employees and communicate the expectation to the customer. And
remember, it’s not a plan unless everyone affected knows the plan and agrees to
it.
Planning is
not expensive but it does take some time and effort. Here are some absolutely free resources: ‘Open
for Business’, a publication the chamber has promoted for several years and is available
on our website. It’s a planning work
book to assist in creating key supplier, vendor, and employee lists, identifying
critical business functions, a business self-assessment
and how-to’s for identifying critical resources to protect your business. Other extremely helpful websites include 3Days
Ways.org, www.rpin.org, and www.kingcounty.gov/prepare.
Start developing
your personal and business preparedness plans TODAY; it’s been said that if you
don’t begin to develop a plan when you are motivated to do so within 24 hours,
you won’t do it. Something else to do
right now is to mark your calendar for this year’s Greater Maple Valley
Preparedness Fair on October 13th.
Upcoming Events: February 8 –Maple Valley City
Manager’s Business Breakfast, Lake Wilderness Lodge; February 10 - President’s Dinner, Awards & Auction,
February 15 Membership Luncheon. Mark
your calendars for the 10th Annual ‘Hooked On Fishing”, April 27-28.
For information
on Chamber membership, a listing of local businesses, GOMVPower Businesses, a
community calendar of events, and blog postings, visit
www.maplevalleychamber.org and www.blackdiamondchamber.org or call
425.432.0222. The Chamber: Growing Business,
Building Community.
Added on 01/20/2012
Filed Under
Exec's Corner by Chamber blog
