In just a few short weeks the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) summit will be descending upon the city of Chicago.Whether your business has customers, employees, suppliers orproperty in Chicago, the summit could impact your operations.

Businesses face a host of risks like office occupation andraids; denial of access to places of business; employee andcustomer injury; and physical property damage.

Zurich has released a whitepaper, now available on Twitter@ZurichNAnews, to help businesses craft a NATO risk action plan,which addresses advance planning as well as organizationalperformance once a disturbance begins. Your plan should addresseverything from communications, to emergency evacuations, tonecessary staffing levels.

The following goals should be at the crux of any emergencyplan:

1. Employee and customer safety should be your firstpriority: Employees are a company's most valuable asset.Evaluate staffing needs and promote safety. Constant communication,accommodating employees and visitors and securing the propertywhere your business resides will help keep your people at theforefront of your plan.
2. Maintain business continuity: Chicagobusinesses should revisit their business continuity plans to ensurethat contingencies exist for not being able to freely access theirplace of business on May 20 and 21; key employees and staff cannotget to work those days; information is lost because of power outageor network system goes down; and suppliers are unable todeliver.
3. Have immediate access to your repair and claimscontacts: The potential threats to businesses generallyfall into three areas: physical property damage, inability tofunction because of physical property damage and business closureor blocked access to a business. Each scenario might be covered bypolicies already be in place, but verify coverages, limits,conditions and deductibles. Be prepared to act immediately torepair any damage to prevent additional loss.
4. Have one person monitor social networks:Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook can be important sources for up-to-date information onwhether trouble's brewing, and where. Designating one person tothis task will help create a clear communication channel.