Hurricane season began with a record nine named storms before August 1st. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also predicted that the Atlantic would see up to 25 named storms this year, and we’ve already hit that mark as of early October. With the current pace so far ahead of historic norms, there is a chance that this season is the busiest on record, surpassing the 2005 hurricane season.
A more active hurricane season will carry with it a higher level of risk. Careful preparation can help reduce your personal risk, and by creating a disaster plan, you can help keep you and your family safe. However, you can also take a few simple steps to protect your property.
- Install storm shutters to protect your windows. If you don’t have time before a storm, you can nail plywood panelling to your window frames for a short term solution. Plywood can also be applied to sliding glass doors.
- Ensure exterior doors are hurricane proof with at least three hinges and a one-inch deadbolt.
- Cut loose branches or trees that might fall.
- Replace rock landscaping with shredded bark mulch. This will cause less harm if it’s picked up.
- Check old garage doors for maximum wind pressure and impact protection and replace them if necessary. Wind entering the garage is the biggest cause for roof damage.
- Seal all outer openings including exterior outlets and vents. A high quality caulk can help prevent water damage.
- If you have a trailer, learn how to secure and anchor it into the ground. Check mooring lines on your boat. Mobile homes can also be secured against high wind, in many of the same ways.
Protecting your Business
You can physically secure your business with the same general preparation steps, but should also extend to create a comprehensive emergency response and continuity plan. The main component of this should be a written formal document that explains how your business can prepare, respond, and recover from a variety of disasters. Your employees need to be trained and drilled on the plan so they know how to respond during and after. You should store a set of emergency supplies similar to one you would keep in your home, as well as anything necessary to get your business up and running again, such as a generator.
Keep your data backed up either in the cloud or somewhere off-site and keep up to date contact information of your employees, vendors, and potentially important customers, so that you can keep in contact to offer support and restart normal operations when it becomes safe to do so.
Beyond this, it’s a good idea to review your business, homeowners, or other property insurance to see how much is covered and how you might better protect yourself from any hurricane related risks.
Rest assured, Johns Eastern is prepared to handle your claims and keep business as usual.
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For more information see our other blogs on hurricane preparation here and recovery here.
