As we navigate the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, businesses in hurricane-prone areas should take proactive measures to protect operations from the destructive combination of high winds, wind-driven rain, storm surge, and power outages often associated with hurricanes. Businesses can mitigate potential damage by undertaking key maintenance activities to ensure they are well-prepared for the rest of the season and preserve business continuity.
Develop a Plan
When it comes to preparing a business, the first step is to assess exposure and create a comprehensive emergency response and continuity plan. This involves understanding a facility’s vulnerabilities to the elements of a hurricane, identifying critical utilities that are necessary for business operations and identifying key employee responsibilities to properly navigate an event. Developing a business and emergency preparedness plan should include:
- Establishing an emergency response team
- Compiling a list of essential contacts
- Implementing a robust IT data backup system
- Cataloging machinery and inventory for potential insurance claims post-storm
- Developing a sunny day maintenance plan
- Upgrading a building’s vulnerable components during the off-season
- Identifying actions to take just prior to a storm to prepare the staff and building
- Conducting post-storm investigations and reporting damage to your insurer
- Reviewing the success or failure of the plan
While having a plan is important, regular training and simulation drills are vital to ensure your team is ready to act effectively during a hurricane.
Sunny Day Maintenance
Maintaining a building’s integrity is essential to withstand hurricane conditions. Regular inspections and repairs of roofs and their components, such as metal edge flashing, can prevent damage from high winds and water intrusion. Keeping gutters, downspouts, and drains clear helps remove excess water and directs it away from a structure.
Caulking and sealing gaps around windows, doors, and other wall penetrations are vital to prevent wind-driven rain from entering. It is crucial to maintain commercial doors, including overhead, roll-up, and sectional doors, as they can become points of failure during high winds. Door rollers must operate adequately, sitting tightly in their tracks and adequately fastened to the wall structure. Follow the manufacturer’s guidance for door-specific operations and fastening.
Inspect window glazing and gaskets to ensure they are not aged, missing or cracking, as these areas can allow water to damage interior finishes and goods.
Proper landscaping maintenance, like trimming tree limbs away from buildings, helps prevent damage from falling branches. Securing outdoor items such as signage and awnings prevents them from becoming dangerous debris in high winds. Keeping a generator in good condition is vital for business continuity during power outages. Regular maintenance, according to the manufacturer’s schedule, ensures permanent and portable generators work correctly when needed.
Building Upgrades
Upgrades should be considered to enhance resilience against hurricanes, especially during renovations, re-roofing, or new construction, by following the FORTIFIED program from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Based on decades of research, FORTIFIED is a voluntary beyond-code construction and re-roofing method that strengthens buildings against severe weather. The program has three levels: Roof, Silver, and Gold, each building on the previous one. Lab studies and real-world events show FORTIFIED significantly reduces damage from high wind events, including hurricanes.
The roof is the first line of defense against severe weather, so it is crucial to strengthen it. A FORTIFIED Roof protects against high winds by using high-wind tested flashing (ES-1) to secure the roof cover at the corners and adding a sealed roof deck for steep-slope roofs to prevent water intrusion through the sheathing panel gaps.
Roof-mounted equipment should be securely fastened to resist overturning from high winds that can damage the roofing system. Impact-resistant and pressure rated skylights should be rated to withstand increased wind pressures, water intrusion and impacts.
FORTIFIED Silver strengthens the building’s envelope and requires connections for backup power. Wind-rated commercial doors and impact-rated windows and doors can prevent structural damage from high winds and flying debris. Installing impact-rated glazing systems or hurricane shutters (code-conforming aluminum paneling) provides additional protection for windows, keeping out damaging winds and debris. Providing connections for backup power allows an owner to bring in a portable generator, reducing business downtime.
FORTIFIED Gold ensures a continuous load path exists to bring the forces on the building to the foundation and establishes instantaneous backup power for business continuity. Investing in a permanent commercial backup generator ensures critical business operations can continue during power outages. Elevating electrical and mechanical equipment above the base flood elevation or implementing dry flood protection measures safeguards critical systems from flooding.
Leading Up to the Storm
As a storm approaches, businesses should stay informed of changing weather conditions by ensuring they have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. This includes tracking updates from the National Hurricane Center and local National Weather Service offices, purchasing a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric) weather radio, and enabling wireless emergency alerts on cell phones.
Activate the business’s emergency hurricane business plan to ensure clear communication and last-minute building preparations. Install hurricane shutters over windows and secure outdoor items like patio seating, signage, and inventory. Check and clear gutters and downspouts to ensure proper drainage. Close and lock all commercial doors, personnel doors and windows, including interior doors, to reduce structural damage from wind pressure.
If an evacuation order is issued, follow instructions immediately, communicate the information to employees and prioritize safety.
Post-Storm Steps
Returning to the building after a hurricane can be overwhelming. Ensure safety first and avoid entering a damaged building until local officials deem it safe. Avoid standing water and downed power lines and report hazards to utility companies.
Assess and document any damage, taking photos and videos of affected areas. Contact the insurer immediately to initiate the claims process and mitigate further damage by covering broken windows and roof damage. Keep receipts for any expenses related to relocation or repairs.
Communicate the status of operations to staff and customers through emergency hotlines, email and social media. Designate times for key staff to join meetings for situation updates.
Clean up safely, using appropriate protective equipment and following local debris disposal guidelines. Remove any items that have absorbed water to prevent mold growth.
If repairs are needed, consider enhancing the building’s resilience with the FORTIFIED construction method developed by decades of IBHS research to withstand severe weather, including high winds, hail and hurricanes.
