The importance of thorough preparation for natural disasters is consistently underlined in this blog. Companies of all sizes and across many industries should conduct a comprehensive risk analysis to ensure that their business continuity plan accounts for as many situations as possible. When all employees are properly educated and understand the intricacies of the preparedness plan, business resumption will be much quicker.

When precautions are not taken, organizations run the risk of facing federal fines. After Hurricane Sandy, several utility companies were unable to bounce back from the severe weather. Customers were left without power for too long of a time, according to authorities, which pushed them to issue fines.

Tennessee is the latest state to try and ensure the safety of residents while bracing themselves against the onslaught of Mother Nature. As reported by Reuters, the mid-south was hit with severe ice storms on Tuesday, causing flooding and dangerous road conditions.

A state of emergency was issued and according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), as much as a quarter inch to a half inch of ice could coat roadways and power lines.

Jeremy Heidt, a spokesman for TEMA, told Reuters that it’s never a good situation when that amount of ice is put on roads and electrical lines.

Tennessee transportation officials ordered all workers – 1,200 individuals and 250 trucks – to stay on duty overnight into Wednesday morning in order to curb as many issues as possible.

“We are not letting any crews go home,” Beth Emmons, Tennessee Transportation Department spokeswoman, told the news source. “All the trucks are loaded and they’ll start laying the salt as needed.”

Initial preparation can have long-lasting positive effects. Without a business continuity plan, companies of all kinds could have many obstacles to overcome to get themselves up and running again following a severe storm.