Storms can sneak up on a moment’s notice with little warning.

That’s why it’s critical for all businesses to ask this question: Am I ready for an emergency that could knock out power for several days?

Keep these four items top of mind when developing your business preparedness plan to respond to emergencies and natural disasters:

  • Create an emergency action plan that includes an evacuation procedure, contact information for local first responders and emergency contact information for all employees.
  • Keep supplies in an emergency preparedness kit; include water bottles, non-perishable food, blankets, first-aid supplies, flashlights and a battery-powered radio.
  • Contact your state emergency management office for information about local shelters, evacuation plans and emergency exit routes.
  • Sign up for free outage alerts via phone, text or email for your business and encourage employees to sign up for their home

If a storm hits, you can get outage information and power restoration updates by using the Consumers Energy outage map.