Interior Designer Michelle Timberlake of Bryce, Virginia, found herself herding cows instead of customers when 40 head escaped from a pasture on her husband’s farm in search of food and shelter. She’s just one of millions paralyzed by a record-breaking blizzard in the mid-Atlantic region that dumped 32.4” of snow in two days at Dulles.

Maybe you scoff at waist-high snowdrifts in your part of the country. But none of us are in the clear from calamities big and small, be they blizzards, mudslides, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes or wildfires.

Do you have a disaster plan? How will you reach your employees? More importantly, can you call your customers? Can you access your banking electronically? What if it happens on payday? Will you still make payroll? Do you know what you were scheduled to receive today? How will you contact your carriers? How will you make up for lost revenue and lost opportunities? Remote access to your office and internet-based operating systems can be a real lifesaver.

Ms. Jones is digging out right next to you. While she’s got some pent up demand from her snowbound days, she might have lost some payroll, too. An unexpected day off without pay is a real bummer.

You’ve got about 48 hours to figure this out before the next snowstorm hits: five more inches are expected tomorrow.