Guess what June is?
The beginning of Hurricane Season (June 1st-November 30th)!
If you’re a FL native, “this ain’t your first rodeo.” Hurricanes can devastate area homes and businesses. While we’ve been fortunate enough to avoid daunting storms over the past few years, it’s best to get your business prepared in the event we are hit.
In my office, we take safety seriously. The best way to handle potential hurricane weather is to develop a written preparedness plan— a “to-do” list to cover your bases in the event of an emergency.
Draft up a plan, clue in your employees, and hunker down!
- Make plans for the protection of equipment and your location. Battery backups will be important to protect the potential loss of data. Cover major equipment with tarps in case of water intrusion. If there are known recurrent roof leaks, buckets will come in handy and protect floors.
- Develop a staffing policy that identifies essential employees and which of them, if any, must remain on call during a storm. Make sure they have in hand policies, and how to handle potential damages.
- Identify and protect vital records such as accounts receivable, customer records, tax records, and other personnel and administrative documents.
- Review insurance policies to ensure that there is adequate coverage.
- MUST purchase items:
- A battery-operated radio or TV (test reception in building)
- One flashlight per person working during the hurricane
- Extra batteries for both radio and flashlights
- First-Aid kit
- Emergency tool kit, if necessary
- Food and water supplies for staff assigned to the facility during the hurricane. Be sure to include needed utensils
- Portable battery operated cell phone charger to keep you connected
Above all, keep your, your staff, and your families out of harm’s way.
Give ample time to prep your home. Preparation and planning are key in getting through rough weather safely and with minimal damages to homes, businesses, and property. With one month until the 2015 Hurricane Season, let’s get to it!
I highly recommend you must read the eBook on what you need to have for starting a business in Tampa, I believe you’ll get a lot out of it. If you haven’t claimed yours, go and grab it now for free! See you inside – I can’t wait to start working with you! We’re better together!
Excellent advice, Holly!
It’s unfortunate that many businesses don’t think about these types of things until it’s too late. I hope they use this great resource to get their plan/strategy in place now — and hope they never have to use it.
I’ve been saying you are the resource Tampa gal. Great advice. Most people think of protecting family & preparing their home. How many businesses have your list.
A business entity must secure its place from any fortuitous event, such as a hurricane, that may occur. Great lesson discussed to make any business well-informed of its obligation towards their clients, including their employees.
Great info, Holly! Hoping for a mild hurricane season and that you all stay safe.
We also get hurricanes here in Queensland and swear by preparedness plans. A few of my best investments were cloud back-up of everything; scanning all essential documents (insurances, bank details etc) onto a USB and keeping it on me when storm season comes around; having a hand-cranked mobile phone charger for when the power goes out (and your phone goes flat and the backup powerpack is on its last legs); and plastic tubs for essential paper documents. They are easy to throw into the car and help protect from water damage.
This is good proactive information for both personal and business use. It is interesting how people hedge their bets and aren’t prepared for something that could or could not happen. It seems that people who have lived in Florida for any length of time would know this and want to be prepared. Great list for everyone to consider…before it possibly happens.
Being prepared is excellent advice. Thanks for the strategies for staying safe during hurricane season.
You do a brilliant job of taking your message to the noble purpose of building up Florida.
We don’t have hurricanes where I live. We do have BIG Snow Storms, though 🙂
Big fan of yours.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that we have a very quiet storm season although we had quite a lot of rain already especially the other day..major street flooding! Be safe everyone.
Holly, my dad lived in FL, so your article brings back memories. Great advice; you are right on target, and I hope other Floridians read this and get proactive! If you could only get some of those hurricanes to divert to CA, where they need the water!
Excellent information. I worked at a University where mock drills were required. It was a lot of work to prepare for, but when the real emergencies happened (tornadoes) everyone was much calmer and knew what to do. With potential hurricanes a reality every year, a business would be crazy not to have a plan in place.
It’s that time again! I find myself back on the East Coast this year for hurricane season. Here’s hoping it’s a mild one. Very good advice you’re providing here. Thank you!
Great tips and ughhh, here we are in Texas… looking at another tropical storm to cause some serious flooding, when we just saw huge amounts a day or two ago.. larger amounts 2 weeks ago and some more a few weeks prior to it.. enough already…
So, my home is my business and there are lots to prepare for and worry about if we are to lose power. Ick Great reminders!
Great tips for planning ahead and staying safe. Thanks for sharing.
Great info for those business owners new to this area or those who are not informed. Lots don’t prepare for “what ifs” and that could be devestating
Oh interesting read, I have never experienced a hurricane.
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