Hurricane season can have devastating outcomes for homeowners and business owners alike. As such, those who live in areas where hurricanes and other natural disasters pose a significant risk should do everything they can to protect their people and their property. No matter how well prepared you are, though, you may have to pick up the pieces after a major storm strikes. Indeed, cleaning your property in a thorough and efficient manner is key to maintaining the integrity and safety of your building following a major weather event. Let’s break down how to clean your property after it has been hit by a hurricane.

Prioritize Safety

As a storm approaches, your main priority should be to ensure the safety of your people. And after a hurricane has passed and it’s time to clean up, safety should still be your number one priority. In order to safely clean your building and landscape, you’ll need to equip yourself and everyone helping out with the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including but not limited to:

• Protective headgear
• N95 masks/respirators
• Goggles
• Work gloves
• Ear protection if using loud machinery
• Waterproof boots
• Fire extinguishers
• Rubber boots and gloves if dealing with sewage material

Additionally, make sure everyone remains vigilant whenever entering the facility (in case of weak structures), walking around the facility (in case of sharp objects underfoot), and when approaching electrical components, chemicals, etc., as these all pose health and safety risks. It’s also crucial to work in teams, especially if you need to lift heavy or bulky objects away from the premises to reduce the risk of injury.

Make Your Property Accessible

After a hurricane strikes, it’s important to ensure safe entry and exit for emergency services, cleanup and maintenance crews, employees, etc. The beginning of the cleanup process, then, should revolve around storm debris removal, clearing detritus away from roads, driveways, garage bays, and other areas of passage. Make sure you have proper trash and debris removal processes setup to efficiently clear away and transport this debris.

Look at Your Landscape

The high winds of a hurricane can easily tear limbs off trees and completely knock them over. After the storm has subsided, you might find an array of branches and trunks strewn about your landscape. For the sake of your lawn’s health and people’s safety, it’s important to hire landscape maintenance services to not only quickly remove this fallen debris but to also address any weakened or partially fallen limbs that threaten your property and people. Some trees may need to be thoroughly trimmed or removed.

Reduce Moisture Inside Your Building

It’s common to run into moisture problems following a major storm. Heavy rainfall can burst pipes and overwhelm pumping systems, flooding basements and seeping into other areas of a facility. Removing this moisture, repairing plumbing systems, and waterproofing your facility are imperative measures for preventing mold, electrical issues, and other health and safety concerns. Building maintenance professionals can help you air out your property, make repairs, and clear away any traces of mold or mildew.

Clean and Disinfect Surfaces

Hurricanes can create sanitary concerns as well. Floodwater often carries bacteria and germs that may stick around on your surfaces unless they’re properly disinfected and cleaned. If you can’t handle this task on your own, seek help from janitorial services that are certified to disinfect your facility inside and out.

Make Necessary Structural Repairs

Before you think about pressure washing your exterior, you’ll want to inspect the integrity of your property -- otherwise, you might end up further damaging your building. Reliable building maintenance services can perform a thorough storm damage assessment and perform all necessary repairs to ensure the structural soundness and safety of your building. After your property is sturdy once more, you can focus on cleaning up its appearance. Hurricanes and other natural disasters are an inevitable part of life. The more prepared you are for these events, the easier it will be to recover from their aftermath. The Budd Group is here to help you prepare for and clean up after a hurricane, no matter the severity of the storm or the damage done. To learn more about all that The Budd Group can do for your business this hurricane season and beyond, call us today at 800-221-8158, or send us an email at Solutions@BuddGroup.com!