When natural disaster strikes, everyone and everything is affected – including businesses. After a disaster, companies can face a lot of downtime while facilities are repaired and equipment is replaced – which obviously hurts your bottom line. To lessen the impact of a disaster, you should prepare your facility ahead of time, by creating a disaster preparedness plan.
A disaster preparedness plan is a comprehensive document that incorporates the needs of all departments and outlines the steps needed to manage a disaster. A strong disaster plan will help you to prioritize tasks and roles. When a crisis hits, you may not have any warning. Regardless, if your company has an effective plan in place and your staff is knowledgeable about the plan’s procedures, you will be able to respond to the disaster faster and more effectively.
A company can also prevent damages by preparing their facility for a storm. It’s very important to make sure your buildings are up to code with local authorities. Disaster mitigation can include bolting tall bookcases or display cases to wall studs to keep items from falling and breaking during high winds. Protect breakable objects by securing them to a stand or shelf using hook-and-loop fasteners. Be sure to install latches to keep drawers and cabinets from flying open. These preparations will help protect the interior of your facility.
Precautions can be taken to protect the exterior of your business too. In the event of a major storm, install closable shutters to protect windows from damage caused by debris blown by a hurricane, tornado or severe storm. Use plumber’s tape to wrap around a hot water heater to secure it to wall studs. It is also a good idea to prepare custom cut plywood to cover doors and windows before the storm arrives.
It is always a good idea to have a plan in place to mitigate the damages that can be inflicted to your business following a natural disaster. With these preparation tips, you’ll be able to minimize the impact a storm can have on your facility.
