How You Should Prepare Your Business For Storm Season

2/17/2023 (Permalink)

It’s never too early to start preparing your business for the next big storm season.

As hurricane season begins, businesses should consider preparing for the upcoming storm season. In fact, there's no better time to think about this than now. Hurricanes can be devastating to your business if you don't plan accordingly. 

With little planning and preparation, you may save your company time and money by taking basic safeguards that won't break the bank or require too much time. This article will walk you through the steps of preparing your business for the storm season.

#1 Create a comprehensive plan

Natural catastrophes, according to FEMA and the US Department of Labor, can permanently and promptly close 40 percent of small enterprises. 75 percent of organizations that do not have a business continuity strategy in place will collapse within the next three years.

Businesses should prepare for all circumstances, including storms, by developing a business continuity strategy. Because certain calamities are more difficult to foresee in advance, you'll need a specialized Emergency Plan to protect your most vital assets and communications. Check for state and local government plans as well, since their guidelines will take regional characteristics into consideration.

#2 Form an Emergency Response Team

Before a storm arrives, you must have a strategy, which includes knowing every aspect of your organization that might be impacted. That's definitely too much for one individual to do, as no single employee can keep track of every member of your team's daily activities.

However, if you want to create a thorough emergency plan, you'll need to form a cross-sectional Emergency Planning Team that includes representatives from all areas of your company. You'll also want to vary the degree of seniority and sort of personnel you hire, because someone who works shifts, for example, will have a totally different viewpoint than a full-time nine-to-fiver.

#3 Prepare for the worst-case situation

When a storm is on its approach, you don't want to be hurrying to prepare, only to realize you haven't done enough—

1. You may choose to work with your IT team to find the best solution for the way your company does business
2. Cloud software that continuously updates off-site servers, External hard drives for electronic vaulting
3. Prepare your office and building by relocating sensitive equipment away from windows and the lowest levels
4. Consult with an engineer to assess the structural strength of walls, awnings, and other parts of the building
5. Consider investing in an Uninterruptible Power Supply

#4 Considering Physical Security

You must comprehend the physical preparations your firm must make to be ready for a hurricane or tropical storm, in addition to a flood or evacuation chart. Is your structure prone to floods in certain areas? Do you need to board up a lot of windows? Is there anything that needs to be carried in, locked, or secured? 

These factors are equally vital to consider when preparing your building for the impending storm. If your area is particularly vulnerable to floods, have someone switch off the breakers and move any critical equipment out of the water's reach. If your servers are in the basement, you'll need to find out how to relocate them.

#5 Examine your insurance 

The most crucial item to look for in an insurance policy is your deductible, which will tell you how much money you'll be responsible for before you can begin rebuilding. You should also check your exclusions to ensure that you are covered for floods, windstorm damage, fees associated with setting up a temporary site, and any personal property you may have on the premises.

#6 After the hurricane, hire a disaster recovery service

Hurricanes, tropical storms, and the flooding that accompanies them may wreak far more damage than first appears. Even if your company appears to be in good shape, hiring an expert to do storm damage restoration and analyze the damage is the best course of action. Electrical and utility damage can generate a wide range of issues that you may not have anticipated, posing safety risks or causing much more harm in the long run.

Storm damage restoration services are quite important once a storm has affected the region. You may call them immediately following the occurrence of a disaster, therefore keep the contact information of the agency ahead of time so you may contact them when you need them.

#7 Restore Your Data and Repair Your Equipment

Depending on your sector, it may be necessary to consult with specialists about fixing any critical equipment that must remain on-site. Again, even if something appears to be unaffected, you won't always know what's going on under the hood.

Contact an expert such as storm damage cleanup services and let them determine what is safe to use and when you may use it. Send hard drives to expert data recovery agencies to see what they can retrieve for computer equipment.

#8 Recover and reopen: business as usual 

As you clean up with the help of professionals from storm damage cleanup services, consider ecological alternatives for your garbage. Many things may be recycled, but you must ensure that electronics and other sensitive materials are disposed of safely. Remember that moisture is your enemy, and utilizing an air conditioner or a dehumidifier may help you dry things out as fast as possible.

Conclusion 

With the potential for a major storm hitting your area in the year 2022, it’s important to be prepared. It’s never too early to start preparing your business for the next big storm season. With a little preparation, you can help ensure that your business will weather any storm and come out with minimal damage and downtime. If you want assistance during the rehabilitation process, our team of specialists is available 24/7!