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Memphis police officers were in full force as they knocked on the doors of about 1,000 homes today to instruct Tennessee residents to evacuate. The reason: the Mississippi River and its tributaries are expected to inundate area homes and businesses with near-record flooding. The predicted floods are likely to affect the states of Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, where White River-area residents also received evacuation orders.

If you own a business, you know the importance of preparedness. You prepare for client meetings, taxes, presentations and so on. One of the hardest things to prepare for, however, is a disaster. It is easy to put disaster preparedness at the back of your mind, especially if a disaster is not happening presently.

In response to the recent tornadoes and floods, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering U.S. Department of Treasury disaster loans to small business owners affected by the natural disasters. Financial assistance is available to those who are located in an area President Obama has issued a natural disaster declaration.

After the recent swarm of devastating tornadoes, residents in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri must prepare for the continuing prediction of storms. The latest tornado to hit the U.S. left 117 known victims in its wake; it is the deadliest tornado in over 60 years. MSNBC reports that about 1,500 are still missing after the recent storm.

The Associate Press reports that the last month of twisters has already made 2011 the deadliest year regarding tornadoes in over five decades. What may be even more disturbing is that the tornado-affected areas have the highest rate of homes without homeowner’s insurance. Consequently, some of the families who need the most insurance-related assistance do not have it and will have a harder time recouping their losses. While the federal government is able to offer some assistance, the law limits the amount of assistance it can provide to $30,300 per household.