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The “How To” of Preparing Your Business for a Flood | SERVPRO® of Henderson/Boulder City
12/23/2019 (Permalink)
Severe Flooding in Commercial Building
When preparing for emergencies as a business owner, it is important to recognize all likely causes of an emergency—including a flood. It has been reported that 90% of natural disasters have flooding involved, so it is important to prepare even if you are not in a known floodplain.
Flood preparedness is a wise choice for business owners to limit their liability, keep their employees safe and get them on track to reopen faster after a disaster. That is why it is important that they take the right steps in preparedness before a flood occurs.
There are many resources on flood preparedness out there, but not all of them have business owners specifically in mind. For businesses, here are some musts for preparation:
- Make use of FEMA’s Flood Map so you are able to understand any geographical risks your area might be prone to.
- Copy important business documents and store them in a safe, secure place where they will not be affected.
- Create an official action plan for emergency procedures to train employees with.
- Make sure every area of the building has a clear evacuation path and host regular emergency drills.
- Add flood insurance to your business policy if you have not already.
- Keep stores of food, water and first-aid supplies on hand in case you must wait for help to arrive.
- Put any electronics such as computers in an elevated area if possible.
It is better to make copies of all the documents you could possibly need instead of discovering that you are unable to find important information after a flood. Consider including things such as:
- A to-do list of tasks to get the business back up and running
- Contact information of anyone essential to the operation of the business—staff, vendors, etc.
- The contact information and policy details from your insurance company
- Recovery instructions for locating computer files
- Bank records, lease copies and any other financial documents that might be useful
If your business has experienced a flood, we are always here to help. Call us 24⁄7 to get our team of professionals to your business quickly so you can get back on track.