National Preparedness Month and the Importance of Disaster Planning for Businesses and Institutions in Puerto Rico

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been designating September as National Preparedness Month (NPM) since 2004. The event is meant to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.
 
The 2021 theme is “Prepare to protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.” In addition to individual preparedness, businesses and institutions also need to be ready to react to a host of hazards. These could include:

• Natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes
• Health hazards such as widespread and serious illnesses like COVID or the flu
• Human-caused hazards including accidents and acts of violence
• Technology-related hazards such as power outages and equipment failures

 
“Up to 40% of businesses affected by a natural or human-caused disaster do not reopen according to Ready.gov,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental.  “Puerto Rico and the islands throughout the Caribbean have been no stranger to natural disasters, having been severely impacted by numerous hurricanes in recent years, not to mention the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. National Preparedness Month is a reminder for those in leadership positions to develop a disaster plan for these and other hazards that could impact their operations.”
 
Helping to prepare for, and respond to, disasters of all types are the industrial hygiene, environmental and infection control professionals at Zimmetry Environmental. They provide a wide range of indoor and outdoor testing, inspection and monitoring services for chemical, physical, radiological and biological hazards in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean.
 
To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their industrial hygiene, environmental, building inspection, and compliance testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail