More than 50 representatives from Gloucester business and nonprofit organizations attended a forum about emergency preparedness Tuesday at Main Street Center. A key point emphasized by several people on the seven-member panel was that businesses must take steps now to insure that they can get back up and running quickly.
C. Creig Moore, Gloucester’s emergency manager, said that approximately a quarter of small businesses never reopen following a major storm or other emergency situation that causes them to be shut down for more than three days. For those businesses forced to be closed from 12-16 days, approximately 75 percent of them never reopen, Moore said.
The county has adequate plans in place to help in the aftermath of a storm, he said, but it’s important that a good line of communications be set up so that business owners can prepare themselves and their staff to deal with an emergency and also tie in to a broader countywide plan for best direction of available...