With our neighbours in the Blue Mountains going through extremely tough times, it can be difficult to keep focussed on normal routines. In the days, weeks and months ahead, there will be ample opportunity for business owners to assist those who have lost everything. In the meantime, evaluating our own situations in the light of a crisis is a positive thing to do.

There are plenty of questions you can ask in relation to your business in a crisis situation: what off-site backup/restore systems do you have in place in the event of total loss? What procedures do you have in place for disruption to staff availability? How much stock do you keep in store and how much of it is insured adequately? Is your business insurance up to date and reflective of the cost of full replacement of equipment and assets?

There are of course many ‘unknowns’ that cannot be answered in advance of a crisis. Not least of which, is the emotional toll that significant loss or disruption can have on your moral and decision making abilities. It can understandably be very demoralising to think about ‘starting over’, especially if you have also experienced personal loss in addition to loss of business.

But having contingencies, backup plans and adequate insurance (to name just a few strategies) can provide peace of mind in times of crisis. Even if in the early stages you are not ready to rebuild or get back to ‘normal’, the knowledge that things are in place can be valuable.

To those in the Penrith and Blue Mountains communities who have lost their homes and/or businesses: your community is behind you and will no doubt assist you in whatever ways we can to help you back on your feet.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender