Natural disasters cause destruction of property, loss of financial resources, and personal injury or illness. In an average year, there are close in S150 billion in financial losses from natural disasters in the United States. The 2017 natural disaster season was worse. They cost the U.S. economy a record $307 billion. The next year, in 2018, there were 355 fatalities due to natural disasters in the United States.
Brewers can take steps to prepare for and mitigate losses from natural disasters. The Brewers Association Safety Subcommittee has provided six anecdotal scenarios, taken from real life situations, to provide insights into how breweries dealt with specific natural disasters and the lessons they learned from those experiences.
The lessons learned address developing your emergency action plan for:
- Evacuation plans
- Severe weather
- Hurricanes
- Earthquakes
- Floods
- Challenges arising from floods regarding electricity and electrical equipment
Thanks to the brewers who shared their experiences to help the entire brewing community be better prepared to respond to the emergencies that arise with natural disasters.