Six Ways to Prepare your Business for Hurricanes
Hurricanes can develop and strengthen very rapidly, leaving your business at risk of property damage, capital losses, business interruptions, and closure. To protect your business andemployees, take steps to prepare them for the hurricane season.
Here are 6 tips for preparing your business:
Develop a business continuity plan.
- Decide how you will carry out or reestablish your company in case of disaster. For example, designate an alternate facility where you can run your business, temporarily or indefinitely, or establish a work from home policy and test it out before the storm hits.
- Additionally, identify which supplies you might need to set up remotely and secure them appropriately, offsite if needed.
Protect important data.
- Back up your important data and documents regularly and inform essential employees where and how to retrieve them. As much as possible, digitize important information and store it in the cloud or on offsite servers. Where documents cannot be digitized, seal and store in waterproof containers.
Get Insured.
- Review your current insurance policies to ensure you have adequate coverage in case of losses, damages, or business interruption. Substantial changes to the contents or structure of the premises (Such as renovations or adding new equipment) can affect your policy. Talk to your agent to ensure your business is covered.
- Also, take photos of your property and contents before and after the storm. In the event of damage, submit any claims as early as possible.
Secure Your Business Facility.
- Protect your business by performing regular maintenance and safety inspections, maintaining equipment, and implementing security measures. Ensure vulnerable equipment is stored somewhere waterproof and protected from flooding.
- Debris can be a major safety hazard in a storm. Clear your property of debris and take the time to secure items such as signage, fences, and outdoor furniture that may become projectiles in a storm. Install shutters or hurricane resistant windows and inspect the state of your roof and gutters.
- If you are renting, speak to your landlord about their hurricane preparedness plan for the facility and review your lease to determine which roles and responsibilities fall to each of you.
Protect your power supply.
- Invest in generators and surge protectors in the event of long power outages. Periodically test your generator to ensure it is in working order. Ensure any electrical equipment is secure in a location where it is protected from flooding and turn off all utilities before landfall.
Stay informed.
- Know your business' and your area's risk for natural hazards like flooding and storm surge and plan accordingly. Learn and obey the national warning system and evacuation alerts and stay updated from official sources such as the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Authority and The Bahamas Department of Meteorology on trusted news sources or on any of their digital platforms.
Do you have everything? Download our Hurricane Supply Kit Checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything.
