Preparing for Hurricane Season

With Hurricane Debby touching ground in Florida this week, hurricane season in full swing. The headlines are enough to tell us it’s never too late to prepare for potential storms that pose great risk to your property portfolio. When facing an impending storm, every minute counts. If you feel that you are in immediate danger, take shelter quickly. Go to the lowest level of your building and away from windows and doors. Remember that sudden calm periods could mean another sudden strong increase in storm activity.

But what can you do to prepare before the hurricane becomes a major disaster. Here are some basic steps to take to ensure not only your health and well-being are protected, but your properties remain safe from harm.

Understand the risk: Hurricanes are rapidly evolving weather events, and your level of risk exposure can change from moment to moment. Before, during, and after the storm, act as if every minute counts—because they do. Be mindful, and act with decisiveness.

Collect site information: Know the dimensions of your store locations and the number and measurements of the windows at your locations so you can be prepared for board-ups. Store this important information in a centralized digital location, accessible via the cloud, for quick access and easy future reference.

Know your supplies: Assemble the critical materials you’ll rely on to protect you during the storm. Maintain a ready stock of sandbags or similar products, plywood boards, emergency power sources, medical supplies, and a food supply with a long shelf life and little need for preparation.

Anticipate demand: Reserve backup generators as soon as possible. Expect that demand will be high and that supply may be limited. Suppliers will often prioritize requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Reach out as early as possible to reserve generators for especially high-needs locations. Do not delay.

Maintain communications: Establish a clear line of communication with your staff over multiple platforms. A combination of phone calls, text messages, email, and forms of instant messages could be layered to provide maximum contact. In a storm, text messages may transmit more efficiently than calls.

Act quickly: Tune into local weather and emergency authorities. Assess risk and decide when to use the resources available to you and to board up locations, stack sandbags, and address material damage to your locations that may pose dangers during the storm.

Prepare for continuity: Determine the extent of damage to your locations and the area surrounding them. Prioritize vendor dispatch according to locations that need the most help. Have debris and obstructions cleared from your locations before site repairs are ordered, to avoid delays and maximize business continuity.

Lessen is an essential partner during emergencies. Call (866) 663-0866 or email weknowFM@lessen.com if you have any questions about how we can serve as an important partner to your business should weather worsen this hurricane season.

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