Business

Make your business more resilient to disasters. Learn how to get prepared. Know how to respond and get help when you need it. Find resources if you need help repairing and recovering.

Prepare Your Business

 

Three people sit at a table in an office and discuss plans. One man has his back to us and appears to be talking. The man and woman across from him are listening and smiling slightly.
Photo credit: Mercy Corps Northwest

 

Sign up to receive alerts when an emergency is occurring near your business. Encourage your staff to sign up as well. You can enter multiple addresses (home, work, school, etc.) to ensure you're informed about emergencies impacting all of the places that matter to you. 

First, learn about local hazards. Next, complete a Preparedness Checklist to identify and prioritize your organization's weak spots. Finally, take action to reduce your risk. Consider purchasing business interruption insurance, earthquake insurance, and flood insurance.

Make a plan for your employees, computers and data, facilities, and inventory. Start with a simple plan, and then develop it over time. To get started, use these 7 Steps to a Disaster Resilient Workplace and check out the Red Cross's Ready Rating Program.

Use the resources below to guide your planning. Backup your plans in case you lose internet or phone service. Have paper copies of critical information, such as employee contact information, insurance information, your emergency plan, and contact information for critical clients, suppliers, or service companies.

General Business Preparedness

Nonprofits & Other Community Organizations

Disaster-Specific Resources

Your emergency plans are only useful if everyone on your team understands them. Talk with employees, suppliers, customers, accountants, attorneys, and anyone else who will be impacted and play a role in response and recovery. Ensure they understand the plans and their role. Make sure they are personally prepared so they can participate in getting back to business. Make personal preparedness a value of your organization, and make that value known internally and externally. 

Ways to Prepare Customers and Staff

  • Survey everyone to gauge their level of preparedness.
  • Offer programs and events that promote individual preparedness.
  • Participate in the Great ShakeOut on the 3rd Thursday of October.
  • Incorporate preparedness messages into staff meetings and newsletters on an ongoing basis.
  • Provide emergency preparedness supplies or equipment instead of other items for gifts, bonuses, or prizes. The Red Cross and other suppliers offer many options.
  • Encourage managers and other leaders to set a good example. They should be prepared at home, have an emergency plan, and have a workplace emergency kit.
  • Cross-train employees and volunteers on critical business functions.
  • Make sure employees know your organization's disaster plan, "business continuity," or "continuity of operations" plan.

Respond & Recover

 

City of Portland logo

Resources for Portland Businesses

The resources below are available for businesses in Portland and parts of Multnomah County. Additional resources are available at the Portland Small Business Hub. 

Emergency & Non-Emergency Help

Call 9-1-1 if there is a serious threat to life or property that is occurring right now. If the situation is not happening right now, call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333 or file a police report online.

Portland Street Response assists people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises. Call 9-1-1 and ask for Portland Street Response. They operate daily from 8am-10pm. They do not respond to medical emergencies, criminal activity, weapons present, threat to harm of self or others, and residential responses. 

Training & Assessment

To request a free security training or assessment for your business, contact the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program. 

PDX 311

PDX 311 provides answers to questions about local government programs and services within Multnomah County, including Portland. They are open daily from 7am to 8pm, except federal holidays. Call 3-1-1 or dial 503-823-4000 if you are outside Multnomah County or calling from an internet phone. You can email questions to 311@portlandoregon.gov. Translation services are available. If you are experiencing an emergency, call or text 9-1-1. 

The Public Environment Management Office is dedicated to swiftly and effectively delivering solutions to livability-related issues in Portland's public spaces by coordinating resources in an efficient manner. 

How to Report Issues

To report issues with graffiti, garbage, abandoned vehicles, and unsanctioned campsites, visit the websites below or email PDX 311 at 311@portlandoregon.gov or call 3-1-1 or 503-823-4000.

Resources in Specific Districts

In Portland, property and business owners fund extra services such as trash cleanup, graffiti removal, community safety, and business development through the City’s Enhanced Services District program. A significant part of Portland’s core is represented by three existing services districts.

Grant Funding

The Local Small Business Expanded Repair/Restore Grant Program provides funding to small businesses located in the City of Portland that have sustained physical and economic damage due to break-ins and vandalism. Contact them at RepairGrants@prosperportland.us. 

Financial Guidance

Emotional Support

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