Floods can cause significant damage to businesses, bringing risks such as rising water levels, property destruction, and disrupted operations. Taking proactive steps to prepare your business, employees, and assets for these extreme weather events can help minimize losses, safeguard critical operations, and ensure a quicker recovery. Here’s how to effectively prepare before, during, and after a flood.
Before a flood hits
- Take pictures of your property and building. It will make the claims process smoother in the event your business sustains damage.
- Clean out floor drains and catch basins and check drainage pumps.
- Anchor and fill above-ground tanks with water or product to keep them in place during the storm. Fill the fuel tanks on your emergency generator and fire pumps.
- Ensure automobiles have full fuel tanks.
During a flood
- Obtain and keep accessible as much cash as possible as banks may not be open following the storm.
- Shut down production processes safely and turn off the electricity at the main power source.
- Evacuate employees.
- Keep up to date about evolving emergency information through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
- Avoid walking, swimming, and driving through flooded areas.
- Get to higher ground or the highest level of a building. Avoid sheltering in closed areas, such as attics, to prevent getting trapped by rising water.
After a flood
- Call employees to ensure that they and their families are safe and secure.
- Check circuits and equipment before restoring power.
- Assemble a recovery team to begin to implement your business continuity plan.
- Call your insurance agent, broker or insurance company immediately to report how, when and where the loss or damage occurred. Have your policy number handy, and give them a general description of damages.
Take proactive steps to mitigate loss
By preparing your employees, securing your property, and protecting critical business assets ahead of time, you can reduce flood-related losses, accelerate recovery, and strengthen your business’s resilience against future disasters. These proactive measures are essential for ensuring both employee safety and operational continuity in the wake of severe weather events.
Let us help safeguard your assets and support the future of your business.
This document is intended for general information purposes only and should not be construed as advice or opinions on any specific facts or circumstances. The content of this document is made available on an “as is” basis, without warranty of any kind. The Baldwin Insurance Group Holdings, LLC (“The Baldwin Group”), its affiliates, and subsidiaries do not guarantee that this information is, or can be relied on for, compliance with any law or regulation, assurance against preventable losses, or freedom from legal liability. This publication is not intended to be legal, underwriting, or any other type of professional advice. The Baldwin Group does not guarantee any particular outcome and makes no commitment to update any information herein or remove any items that are no longer accurate or complete. Furthermore, The Baldwin Group does not assume any liability to any person or organization for loss or damage caused by or resulting from any reliance placed on that content. Persons requiring advice should always consult an independent adviser.
