Health, Wealth and Weather

While Mark Twain makes two very excellent points in the grand scheme of weather and preparedness, it is true that you cannot alter the course of weather nor stop a catastrophic storm in its tracks. You can, however, mitigate risks by preparing to protect the safety of your patients, your employees, your business, and your facilities.

“During the last 5 years, 69% of companies invoked their emergency business continuity plans due to natural disasters and severe weather conditions.”¹

Emergency preparedness is an especially critical point for healthcare professionals. Every day hospitals save lives – physically and psychologically. They heal the wounded, mend the broken, and provide an unparalleled peace of mind that everything is going to be okay.

There’s an App for That

Stop to imagine for a moment what happens to a hospital in a severe weather event: power outages create generator dependence, an influx of new patients affected by the elements with a simultaneously reduced capacity due to staff transportation issues. Tired employees are pushed to their limits without enough resources to manage the needs. For healthcare, shutting down and relocating is not an option.

Would you feel comfortable knowing that your own local emergency care provider was using the same smartphone application to make potentially life-saving decisions… that you use to plan your vacation?

Probably not. Instead, you might imagine (or hope) that they use a more robust weather technology service led by industry experts, offering detailed preparedness planning and 24/7/365 meteorological support. The general public weather service might offer a high-level regional forecast – but StormGeo is able to offer site-specific data with custom alerting and monitoring services on a tailored, cloud-based business decision guidance dashboard and mobile application.

Money Talks, Disaster Walks

On top of the life-threatening effects of severe weather on hospital employees and their patients, there are also the disastrous consequences to business operations to consider.

“International research confirms that winter storms, hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, wind, lightning, hail, and floods constituted 87.3% of the $400 billion business damage and loss in 2014.”²

Companies who create a disaster response plan are in a far better position to protect themselves and their businesses from severe weather events. Business continuity services, like the kind offered by StormGeo, help to mitigate physical damage, cause fewer injuries, and provide for a sooner and more effective return to “business as usual” with less operational casualties.

The Impact of Catastrophes on Shareholder Value analyzed the variance in companies who had experienced catastrophes.³ One of the study’s key conclusions placed the management of catastrophe (before, during, and after) at a higher level of importance than the insurance claim that followed… to the tune of a 22% net share price difference.

There are many options out there when looking for general information on the weather – it’s an instinct to tap a button on our phones or do a quick search for a quick solution. In the case of hospitals, however, there is no quick solution to unmitigated risk. Don’t take a chance on weather – prove Mark Twain wrong and do something about it here.

Sources: ¹ Forrester Research Q4, 2014, Business Continuity Preparedness Survey; ² Disaster Recovery Journal; ³ Oxford Executive Research Briefings: The Impact of Catastrophes on Shareholder Value