What Businesses Should Do Now To Prepare For Hurricane Season

Top hurricane forecasters have predicted 14 named tropical storms this season, of which seven will become hurricanes. Hurricane season in the Atlantic is fast approaching; the season officially begins June 1 and runs through November 30. With so little time left on the clock, business owners should prepare now to protect their businesses during hurricane season.

There are three areas that should be priorities for all business owners to protect: people, property and papers.

People

Keeping your employees safe during a hurricane is your first and foremost priority. This means acting quickly to evacuate, if necessary. It could even mean operating remotely for a week or two during the time period the hurricane is most likely to hit.

In the case that employees are stranded at your office building, you’ll want to have an emergency disaster kit ready to go.

Property

You’ve taken care of your people, now what about your property? With hurricanes come high winds, flooding and storm surges, so you need to protect your building from both wind and water.

Install windstorm shutters or plywood on windows and doors. Make sure your roof is up to code so it can withstand heavy winds. Remove any nearby trees or branches that could damage the building. Don’t forget to sandbag any areas prone to flooding. Use straps to secure electronics and all utilities including water heaters, gas tanks, and heaters. Then turn off all utilities and electronics before the hurricane hits.

Papers

Business owners would agree that coping with repairs or replacement of equipment and furniture damaged by hurricanes is challenging. Yet, many overlook one of the greatest consequences – the potentially irreparable damage to records, documents, film and electronic media.

Remember, keeping business records protected and retained for the entire life cycle is crucial, no matter what industry you’re in or the size of your company. This means it’s absolutely necessary to choose a document management company with facilities designed for safe and secure preservation of your critical business documents. The facilities at Stevens & Stevens Business Records Management have fully redundant backup power, designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 150 mph with temperature and humidity-controlled media vaults. Learn more here.