While most commercial and industrial facilities along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts have been built to bear the effects of hurricane-force winds, facility managers can take additional steps to lessen the potential damage that can occur during major storms.
Understand Your Facility’s Risks
The key trademarks of a hurricane are:
- High wind speeds
- Storm surges
- Torrential rains
- Tornadoes
Any one of these can put your organization’s facility at risk during a storm.
Know Your Disaster Response Action Plan
While most major commercial and industrial organizations have fixed disaster response plans already in place, conducting an audit of your facility’s emergency strategy is never a bad idea. Before a storm hits, make sure that you thoroughly review your organization’s property insurance policy to ensure the business is sufficiently covered against storm damage.
As a Storm is Coming
As soon as a hurricane warning is issued, facility managers should check the facility’s interior and exterior surroundings and then take the correct safety measures. Some of these can include:
- Bringing in exterior displays and removing any outdoor signs or other items that could fly away in high winds and board up glass doors and windows.
- Place sandbags in appropriate areas to help stop floodwaters from entering the facility.
- Make sure all storm drains near the property are clear of debris to help keep the water away from the facility.
- Make arrangements for after the storm has passed for your staff, and emergency power connections if needed.
Have more questions about hurricane preparedness? Call MaintenX today!
