Scranton Times/Tribune Article - Disaster Preparedness Conference

4/11/2016 (Permalink)

The event, a joint effort of the Lackawanna County Chamber and Luzerne County Chamber, is the first such conference the groups will organize this year, each focusing on one specific theme for businesses to consider, said co-founder of the Luzerne County Chamber, Christopher Carey. The fledgling groups are not affiliated with the local chambers of commerce.

“We need education resources,” Mr. Carey said.

The groups decided the theme for Thursday’s conference at the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center would be disaster preparedness. At the conference were members of the American Red Cross; Tech42, a Dunmore-based information technology firm; SERVPRO, a damage restoration contractor; and the Scranton Police Department, which stressed the importance of having an “active shooter” plan.

“It was a solid presentation,” said Judah Whitney, of Covington Twp., after listening to the Red Cross speak about preparing disaster plans. “(It highlighted) the necessity of preparing and the risks of not preparing.”

Dave Skutnik, a spokesman for the Red Cross, noted that about 40 percent of small businesses fail following a disaster, which can be lessened by having a plan in place on how to handle it.

“In this area between fires and floods we see it happen all the time,” Mr. Skutnik said.

The chambers plan on organizing additional conferences during the year, on subjects ranging from health and wellness to proper bookkeeping, Mr. Carey said.