Hurricane Irene and My Dental Office
My home and office survived Hurricane Irene without any big physical plant issues. The big issue for my office was lack of power. We had to cancel patients on the Monday after the hurricane as the lower level of my building had flooded and there was no power. I know many dental offices are in worse shape, some have been destroyed and others will have no power for up to a week. I learned a few things besides having redundant backups both on and off site.
What happens if I have no power at my home and office? Make sure you have a notebook computer and a way to recharge the battery. A power inverter for use in the car can be used for recharging the battery. Thanks to Lighthouse PLZ my office manager was able to access a copy of our appointment book from her home and cancel patients for Monday. We called Officite our web site company and had theme post a big banner announcing the office was closed on our web site. We changed the voicemail message to indicate were were not in and we would return calls the next day. Keep copies of the install discs for you practice management software in case you need to reload the software along with your backup data. Internet access is becoming more crucial so have a smart phone which you can use to tether to a computer or or a USB cellular modem.
With hurricanes you have time to prepare. Some emergencies give you no time. So make sure you have an emergency plan for your office in place.
What happens if I have no power at my home and office? Make sure you have a notebook computer and a way to recharge the battery. A power inverter for use in the car can be used for recharging the battery. Thanks to Lighthouse PLZ my office manager was able to access a copy of our appointment book from her home and cancel patients for Monday. We called Officite our web site company and had theme post a big banner announcing the office was closed on our web site. We changed the voicemail message to indicate were were not in and we would return calls the next day. Keep copies of the install discs for you practice management software in case you need to reload the software along with your backup data. Internet access is becoming more crucial so have a smart phone which you can use to tether to a computer or or a USB cellular modem.
With hurricanes you have time to prepare. Some emergencies give you no time. So make sure you have an emergency plan for your office in place.
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