Hurricane Season: How to Protect Your Business from…

The Atlantic hurricane season spans from the beginning of June to the end of November, with August and September featuring the most frequent and powerful storms -- and 2020 appears to be no exception. In fact, analysts predict that this already turbulent year will undergo an above-normal active Atlantic hurricane season. And while we have no control over these weather patterns themselves, we can control how we prepare for them. Indeed, proper emergency planning can make the difference between a business shutting its doors for good and merely taking a minor hit before returning to normal. So, the question is: are you prepared to withstand the upcoming hurricane season? Here’s our advice for protecting your business from disaster.

Create a Detailed Plan

There is no guarantee that a hurricane will reach your business or result in major damages, but it’s better to plan for the worst just in case. This planning stage should include steps such as:

Creating a checklist of actions for individuals and teams to take in different hurricane-related scenarios
Assigning teams to execute said actions
Pre-negotiating contracts with janitorial services, landscapers, repair/construction providers, etc. for quick access to prep work, interior clean-up, landscape debris removal, repairs, and more
- Ensuring you have pre-negotiated response times and rates with your provider(s)
Documenting assets for business and insurance purposes
Establishing measures for securely backing up data
Maintaining a stock of essential supplies (i.e. PPE, production-related materials, etc.)

The more detailed your plan, the faster and more efficient your disaster response will be.

Prepare with Your Entire Organization

Proper hurricane mitigation and recovery is a group effort -- one which requires the full participation of all employees and leaders within your business. As such, your preparation efforts must be well understood by everyone. To keep everyone on the same page, you must educate your teams, going over specific actions and responsibilities for them to follow as well as details regarding overall procedures. Management must also share and review insurance and service contracts. If a hurricane is approaching, the facility and business’ belongings must be able to remain as secure as possible, especially windows and loose exterior objects and features. And lastly, upper management must consider whether or not operations can be safely and temporarily moved to another location in the event that the main facility undergoes severe damage. If so, there must be a plan for ensuring employees can access this other facility and that operations can effectively resume elsewhere.

Recover Effectively

No amount of preparation can prevent the damage dealt to your property by a powerful hurricane, but recovery is possible and made easier with the right approach (including the planning and preparation measures outlined above). To recover effectively, contact your insurance company, building maintenance provider, janitorial cleaning service, and landscaping contractor, review your assets for damage, make necessary repairs, check for mold, rot, and other forms of damage, remediate and clean up (i.e. storm debris removal), and execute all items on your checklist. Of course, all of these actions are easier to complete when you work with a full-service facility maintenance provider like The Budd Group. We offer a range of services that are essential in the disaster preparation and recovery processes, meaning your business won’t have to hire several disparate providers in order to establish an efficient hurricane protection program. 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!

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