As residents and employers on the East Coast are aware, Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall shortly. This type of disaster can take a toll on businesses in the affected areas, from property damage to employee safety complications. Employers in the restaurant industry face a unique set of potential issues before, during, and after a disaster like a hurricane. Ogletree Deakins shareholder Hal A. Shillingstad recently sat down with Nation’s Restaurant News to discuss what restaurants can do right now to prepare.

Shillingstad offered eight tips for restaurants as they deal with the hurricane, including triaging tasks, notifying customers (including customers who have prescheduled events involving catering or the restaurant), and reaching out to employees (taking into account staff, managers, and employees who are also volunteer responders). Shillingstad provides details and further tips and considerations for restaurant employers in Nation’s Restaurant News article, “Hurricane Florence: Eight emergency response tips.”

Ogletree Deakins’ Disaster Resource Center provides employers with information to assist in preparing for business interruptions and recovery in the aftermath of a devastating event. In addition to these resources, the firm will be hosting a complimentary webinar in the next week or two that will cover employment-related issues in the wake of hurricanes and other natural disasters, including wage and hour matters, workplace safety considerations, and ways to assist affected employees. Stay tuned.