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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah witnessed disaster strike suddenly last week with floods in Santa Clara, where nearly a dozen businesses were shut down. How many of those companies have a disaster recovery plan to get them back on their feet?
Some say it's a plan all businesses, big or small, should have.
Fit Well Prosthetic and Orthotic Center in Salt Lake City manufactures and fits artificial limbs and braces that allow its patients to live more active and productive lives. There are thousands of patient records stored at their facility too.
In an instant, it could all be gone, or at least temporarily shut down. That's a scenario the executives here want no part of.
"Say there's an earthquake or some natural disaster and they need to come in and have their prosthesis worked on," said Scott Allen, owner of Fit Well. "If we're not here to be able to provide services for them, it not only affects us as employees, but the patients as well."
Because of that fear, Fit Well began creating an emergency plan — one that outlines everything from backing up patient data records, having the right kind of insurance and, perhaps most important, finding alternate locations.
"Part of what we want to do is plan for the contingencies where we have be somewhere else, still doing our job, maybe not getting it done as quickly and easily as we do now, but still be able to get our job done," said Tim Bachman, a certified prosthesis, and the man who put together Fit Well's emergency plan.
"I feel we're more prepared than we were," he said. "We are not a prepared as we'd like to be."
Fit Well worked with Tony Wilde of the Utah Division of Emergency Management. From Wilde's perspective, most Utah businesses aren't ready. Moreover, they don't think an emergency plan is a worthwhile cost.
But Wilde says it's not about preparing for the huge devastating earthquake, it's the small interrupters like power outages or water line breaks.
"As far as for companies, being out of business for 72 hours is a world of hurt. You lose data, you lose customer contacts, you lose credibility," Wilde said.
Having an emergency plan can improve the odds of a business surviving, and maybe bring peace of mind.
"The best thing is a plan," Allen said. "To have a plan so you know what to do so you don't have to be running around scared, not knowing."
