SMEs fail to plan for emergencies according to a new survey commissioned by the British Insurance Brokers Association. The findings of the independent research, conducted by Populus on behalf of BIBA, revealed that small businesses are very exposed in the event of such emergencies. The findings of the research reveal that: 

Nearly three quarters of businesses had no plans for dealing with the resulting impact of acts of terrorism.
Nearly half of businesses had no plans to deal with the impact of flooding.
A third of businesses had no plans to deal with the impact of a storm, while nearly a third only had ~rough plans~.
Only just over a half had plans to deal with the effects that a fire might have on their business.
Only half had a formal written Business Continuity plan in place.
Half of those questioned believed it would take less than a day for a serious disruption or disaster to have a significant impact on their business.

Following recent high profile news stories such as the Carlisle floods, the Buncefield explosion, the recent tornadoes in London and now the bird flu epidemic, the call to action for small business is clear. Eric Galbraith, Chief Executive of the British Insurance Brokers' Association comments:  ~Our research reveals an incredibly worrying trend amongst the essential small business sector in the UK. Too many businesses are putting themselves and their employees' futures at risk by failing put in place proper continuity plans should the unexpected happen.