CHAPEL HILL – Though the waters of the June 30 flash flood have long since receded, many area businesses are still recovering.  A free workshop is being held this week to make this process less complicated and to better prepare our community for future emergencies.

The Disaster Preparedness Seminar is happening Thursday morning at the Carolina Club, a hosting partner, along with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of SCORE, a national non-profit organization which aids small businesses.

Andrew Beamon is a project manager for SCORE and helped lead Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts after the super storm tore through the East Coast.

“We definitely want to provide these experts to the community and to provide educational assistance to get people better prepared for these types of interruptions,” Beamon said.

Beamon explained Thursday’s workshop will be given by Bob Boyd, CEO of Agility Recovery, based in Charlotte, NC.

Agility Recovery works to prepare clients for many types of disasters before they happen.  They also provide immediate assistance to clients when a disaster actually occurs.

“What SCORE and Agility have done for other communities across the North East has centered around 10 steps in preparedness,” Beamon said. “That is as simple as accessing risk in your community, or reviewing your insurance plan and making sure that everything is up-to-date.”

The June rainstorm dumped more than five inches of rain in just a few hours, affecting shopping centers like University Mall and The Shops at Eastgate.

“We have been close to a lot of businesses that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy, and we want to pass this knowledge on to Chapel Hill and Carrboro as well,” Beamon said.

SCORE mentors will also offer individualized counseling on topics, including how to find appropriate financing options and how to create successful marketing initiatives once businesses get back on their feet.

“For recovery, we were able to get people connected with the right resources to get loans and grants to get their business back up and running,” Beamon said. “This is all free, the workshops we provide and the one-on-one counseling is all free.”

Registration is required to attend the Disaster Preparedness Seminar. To sign up, click here.

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