Protect Your Business at Every Stage this hurricane season

Hurricanes can cause extensive damage to businesses, posing risks such as high winds, flooding, and flying debris. Preparing your business, employees, and assets for these extreme weather events can help minimize damage, protect operations, and ensure a faster recovery. Here’s how to prepare before, during, and after a hurricane.

Before a hurricane

Employee and workplace preparedness

• Develop an emergency plan: Create a hurricane preparedness plan for your business, including evacuation routes and designated meeting points for employees. Clearly define roles and responsibilities for staff during emergencies.
• Create an emergency kit: Assemble essentials such as water, non-perishable food, first-aid supplies, medications, flashlights, batteries, chargers for electronics, copies of critical business documents, and cash. Stock enough supplies to last 72 hours or more.
• Stay informed: Register for local emergency alerts and download weather apps (e.g., updates from the National Hurricane Center) to receive real-time storm notifications.
• Practice safety drills: Conduct hurricane preparedness drills with employees to ensure everyone knows how to respond, evacuate, and protect themselves during extreme weather.
• Plan for transportation and relocation: Arrange shelter and transportation plans for employees and essential equipment in case relocation is required after the hurricane.

Property protection

• Secure outdoor assets: Bring in or tie down outdoor furniture, signage, trash bins, tools, and other loose items that could become dangerous projectiles in high winds.
• Reinforce doors and windows: Install storm shutters or impact-resistant glass to protect your property from flying debris. Use bracing kits for large entry points, such as garage doors.
• Clear gutters and drains: Remove debris from gutters, downspouts, and storm drains to prevent flooding caused by blocked water flow.
• Inspect your roof: Check for loose shingles or tiles and repair damage to ensure it can withstand heavy rain and wind.
• Seal leaks and vulnerabilities: Look for cracks, gaps, or vulnerabilities around windows, doors, walls, or the foundation, and seal them to prevent water intrusion during the storm.
• Elevate equipment and inventory: Move critical equipment, electronics, and inventory to higher locations or waterproof storage containers to safeguard them from flooding.
• Identify utility shut-offs: Ensure employees know where utility shut-off valves for water, gas, and electricity are located in case they need to be turned off before the storm.

Asset protection

• Document your assets: Take detailed photos or videos of your business property, equipment, and inventory to create a record for insurance claims.
• Review insurance policies: Confirm coverage for hurricane-related damage, including wind, flooding, and property damage. Update your policy, if needed, and consider purchasing flood insurance if you operate in a high-risk area.
• Back up critical documents: Digitally back up important business records, such as contracts, financial documents, and inventory lists, in secure cloud storage or off-site locations.

During a Hurricane

Employee safety

• Seek shelter: Move employees to a designated safe space within the building, such as an interior room or space without windows. If possible, choose a room on the lowest floor that is not prone to flooding.
• Monitor official alerts: Keep communication devices fully charged and monitor emergency updates from local authorities for evacuation instructions or storm progression.
• Avoid flood water: Instruct employees never to wade through standing or moving water outside, as it may contain hazardous debris, pollutants, or live electrical currents.
• Coordinate communications: Keep staff informed and connected, ensuring they know next steps and evacuation details, if necessary.
• Evacuate early, if needed: Follow evacuation directives from authorities and leave before conditions worsen. Transport employees and critical business equipment to safer locations.

Property measures (if time allows)

• Turn off utilities: Shut off water, gas, and electricity to minimize fire risks or electrical hazards caused by flooding or structural damage.
• Move important assets to safety: Place critical inventory, electronics, and documents in waterproof containers, if time permits.
• Close doors and windows: Ensure storm shutters are securely closed and blinds or curtains are drawn to reduce risks from flying debris or glass.

After a Hurricane

Employee and workplace recovery

• Wait for clearance to return: Only return to your business premises once local authorities have declared the area safe. Avoid driving through flooded areas with downed power lines.
• Inspect for structural damage: Check walls, ceilings, and the foundation for cracks or instability. Avoid working in areas of the building that appear unsafe.
• Wear protective gear: Ensure employees wear gloves, boots, and masks during cleanup efforts to protect them from debris and contaminants, such as mold or hazardous materials.
• Assess water safety: If your business relies on a private water source, avoid using it until it has been tested for contamination and declared safe.

Property and asset recovery

• Document damage: Take detailed photos and videos of all damage to your business property, equipment, and inventory for insurance claims.
• Contact insurance providers: File claims promptly for wind damage, flooding, loss of property, and business interruption.
• Save expense records: Keep all receipts for cleanup, temporary relocation, and repair work, as they may be reimbursed through your insurance or government relief programs.
• Inspect major systems: Hire professionals to evaluate plumbing, electrical systems, HVAC units, and gas lines to ensure they are safe before resuming operations.
• Repair and rebuild: Address structural damage immediately and ensure repairs meet hurricane-resistant standards to better protect your business against future storms.

Take proactive steps to mitigate loss

By preparing your employees, securing your property, and safeguarding critical business assets in advance, you could minimize hurricane-related losses, expedite recovery, and help ensure resilience in the face of future storms. Taking these steps helps ensure both employee safety and operational continuity in the aftermath of severe weather events.

Let us help safeguard your assets and support the future of your business.