SBA and Nationwide Launch Small Business Disaster Preparedness Guide

December 4, 2007 -- The U.S. Small Business Administration and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company have teamed up to launch a disaster planning guide for small business owners. SBA Deputy Administrator Jovita Carranza and Nationwide’s Associate Vice President for Safety Bill Windsor made the announcement today during an event at the National Press Club.

The 10-page guide provides information business owners need to develop an effective plan to protect customers and employees in the event of a disaster. The guide provides key disaster preparedness strategies to help small businesses identify potential hazards, create plans to remain in operation if the office is unusable, and understand the limitations of their insurance coverage.

Hard copies of the guide will be distributed by SBA field offices, its resource partners around the country and disaster field offices. Nationwide will make additional copies available to its agents for distribution. An electronic version of the guide is available online at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html, and at www.nationwide.com.