The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan -- coupled with the humanitarian and business disaster that followed -- has had me thinking about what would happen if a similar natural disaster happened here. An emergency, crisis, or disaster can happen at any time, and at any place -- and it can happen to you. And if your company goes offline for some period of time, the result could be a loss of business and the ability to serve clients. It's a double whammy: not only can an emergency put your immediate source of income at risk, but it can jeopardize your customer relationships, creating problems that can undermine your business in the long term.

What would you do in an emergency? Would you be prepared to uproot your office and take it with you, wherever you might end up, or for however long you might find yourself away? Would you still be able to serve your customers? Would they be able to rely on you to get the job done?

An earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or flood could force you out of your office for days, weeks, or months on end. A power outage or brownout could leave you without your computers or computer networks for a day or two. A fire could destroy your office -- and everything in it. Even something as unnatural as a hard-drive crash or hacker attack on your computer can halt the progress of your otherwise forward-marching business.

Truth is, there's no way that you can predict the time or place that an emergency, crisis, or disaster will occur. The best bet is to be prepared to bail out of your office on a moment's notice, and to have the ability to take your office and your work with you wherever you go.

Here's some advice for preparing for the kinds of emergencies that can turn your world -- along with your work and your customers -- upside down:

• Get portable. If you don't already have a laptop computer, get one. When the authorities are driving through your town -- piping the order to evacuate in 10 minutes through the loudspeakers on top of their van -- you're going to be hard-pressed to unhook your desktop computer and peripherals, and to carry them to your car, along with all your work files and assorted stuff. If you have special tools that you'll need to take with you -- an electronic graphics tablet, for example -- be sure that it can plug right into your laptop. And don't scrimp too much on your laptop's price or features: it needs to be able to run the same applications as your desktop, and you may be using your portable for a long time.

• Be prepared. The best way to be sure that your business will survive an emergency, crisis, or disaster is to be prepared for it. Back up your hard drive regularly, and keep copies of all your work files in a handy place -- either on your laptop computer, or on a CD-ROM or USB flash drive that you've packed along with it. My own preference is to backup to an online service (I use SugarSync) that let you automatically back up your critical data files over the Internet to large remote servers (what is known as the "cloud.") for free. When you need your files, they'll be waiting for you to access from your temporary office, wherever it may be. If you'll need other materials or supplies for active jobs, keep them all in one place in your office so it will be easy to grab them if you're on the run. Keep your laptop charged up, and buy an extra battery for it.

• Pack a bag. Prepare an emergency briefcase, bag, or suitcase that's ready to go. My own emergency briefcase is outfitted with my laptop computer, a USB mouse, a telephone cable, my power charger and European plug adapter, a printout of my computer address book, five or six prepaid FedEx labels (with my account number), paper, pens, pencils. When it's time to hit the road, I throw my iPhone into the bag, along with a few active documents and books, and I'm ready to go.

• Have a backup plan for Internet access. While I have a cool, ultra-fast cable modem for my office computer, it doesn't do me a bit of good when I'm using my laptop computer away from my office. While you might be able to survive using a Wi-Fi connection, it's even better to have a self-contained wireless broadband modem offered through your mobile phone provider. This way you'll be able to get an Internet connection anywhere in the country that has cell phone service.

If you're fortunate, you may never need to put these emergency plans and supplies into action. If you do, however, you'll be glad that you took the time to think ahead and be prepared. And so will your customers.