Manatee expo will help business owners prepare for hurricane season

April 04--MANATEE COUNTY -- Although Hurricane Irma weakened considerably before it passed through Manatee County last September, the storm still caused roughly $50.5 million in damage countywide.

According to the county, property owners in Manatee filed 8,207 insurance claims related to Irma. Thousands of local residents and businesses, among 4.7 million utility customers statewide, managed without electricity -- some for hours and others for days.

Hurricane season returns June 1. Before that date arrives, Manatee County economic development and emergency management officials want local businesses to make preparations.

On April 26, the county will host its Third Annual Business Recovery Expo.

The free seminar is to assist business owners and operators in creating "a continuity plan" should a major storm or other disaster strike.

According to federal authorities, after a community experiences a disaster such as a hurricane, about 40 percent of small businesses fail to reopen.

The county's goal is make that percentage as low as possible.

"We'll talk about lessons learned from Irma," county economic development official Karen Stewart said. "Quite a few (local businesses) had some disruption."

The program will feature speakers from the National Weather Service, Florida Power & Light, BB&T Insurance Services and the county's Emergency Operations Center.

Other participants with exhibits and information include CareerSource Suncoast, Small Business Development Center, Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, Manatee Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce, Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, Manatee County Black Chamber of Commerce and the Braden Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

One precautionary step that business owners can take now is to register with the county's Business Recovery Directory (mymanatee.org/recoverydirectory).

For competitive reasons, all information that businesses provide to the directory will be kept confidential. "It's password protected," Stewart said.

By getting listed, businesses can reach out for assistance before and after a disaster. For example, they can find out how to obtain materials such as tents and barricades, where to apply for loans or where displaced employees may locate temporary housing. They can also identify materials and resources they may offer to assist in recovery operations and be given priority during recovery efforts when federal aid becomes available.

More than 1,000 Manatee businesses are registered so far.

Earlier this week, AccuWeather Atlantic Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said the forecasting service predicts from 12 to 15 tropical storms this year. Of those storms, six to eight are expected to become hurricanes, and three to five are likely to become major hurricanes.

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