What to do during and after an emergency

Follow the procedures outlined in your business’s emergency action plan if you have one.

You can also use our take action checklist when an emergency happens.

Follow the advice of emergency services personnel, including if you need to evacuate.

If you do evacuate, take your emergency kit and make sure all your staff are safe and accounted for. Check in with the people on your emergency contacts list.

Depending on the emergency, you might have time to:

• switch off electricity, gas and water
• board up windows to protect against cyclones or severe storms
• sandbag entryways against flooding
• raise your electrical appliances off the floor to avoid floodwater
• secure outdoor items that could be blown around by high winds.

You and your staff need to stay up to date with the latest warnings and risks during an emergency.

You can do this by following government social media channels and websites, such as:

• the Bureau of Meteorology for weather warnings

• state or territory emergency services for local warnings and updates.

If you can, tune into to a local radio or television station for updates. ABC radio stations provide regular emergency updates in Australia.

You might receive some emergency alerts as text messages. However, don’t rely on this as your only source of emergency warnings.

If an emergency has impacted your business, our business recovery checklist can help you start getting back on track.

Use the checklist and your business’s emergency management plan to:

• assess the impact on your business
• understand what you might need to do before you can return to business.

Once you have assessed the impact on your business, think about what it will take for your business to recover.

If you're not sure your business can recover, it's a good idea to get advice from an accountant or business adviser.

If the only option is to close your business, our information on closing your business will help you understand what to do.

Government financial support

Federal, state and territory governments may offer financial support to businesses impacted by a natural disaster. The type and amount of support available depends on the severity of the disaster and where you’re located. It often includes recovery grants and low-interest loans.

To find out what’s available, check:

• our page on business assistance for disasters and emergencies
• the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website
• our grants and programs finder.

Financial counselling

Financial counsellors offer a free, confidential and independent service. They can help you if you’re struggling financially after an emergency.

Tax and lodgement help

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has information for businesses dealing with natural disasters or emergencies.

If you need to defer your tax payments or reconstruct your tax records, call the ATO emergency support line on 1800 806 218.

Help with company fees and documents

If an emergency stops you from paying fees or lodging documents for your company, contact the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for help.

ASIC can also help if your company records were lost or damaged in a disaster.

A disaster that affects your business will probably impact your employees too. Your staff may be eligible for the Australian Government's Disaster Recovery Allowance, a short-term payment for Australian Government's Disaster Recovery Allowance people who have lost income due to a disaster.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has information about employee pay and entitlements during a natural disaster.

Once the main emergency has passed, you can look at restarting your business operations. This includes arranging a start date with your employees.

If your premises have been damaged, you might have to relocate your business to a temporary location, such as:

• a business centre
• a hotel
• someone's home
• a co-working space or other temporary premises.

You can consider work-from-home arrangements if they suit your business.

You could also look into virtual office services such as:

• a telephone answering service 
• mail forwarding
• a remote secretarial service.

Some ways to get advice on business recovery:

• Talk to a business adviser.
• Contact your nearest Business Enterprise Centre.
• Find recovery tips and assistance on the National Emergency Management Agency website.
• Contact your industry association.
• See if your local council has seminars, workshops or events for local businesses.

Some ways to improve your cash flow as you recover:

• Make any insurance claims as soon as possible so the insurance company can process them quickly. If a disaster impacted a lot of people, there might be delays as your insurance company processes all the claims. Talk to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority if you have a complaint about your insurance company.
• Explain your current financial situation to creditors (the people or businesses you owe money to). Your bank or other lender might agree to pause loan repayments or give you an interest-only arrangement until you recover.
• Chase up any money owing to you.

Criminals can take advantage of natural disasters and emergencies to scam business owners out of money.

Visit the ScamWatch website to learn how to protect yourself from scams.

As well as impacting your business, natural disasters and other emergencies can affect your mental health.

Find out how you can access free, confidential support.

Once your business has recovered from an emergency, it’s time to tell your customers that you’re back up and running. Our free marketing plan template can help you focus your marketing efforts.

Where to get emergency alerts and information in your state or territory.