Natural disasters are a common occurrence in the US. Residential homes are the most affected, but offices and workplaces are vulnerable to the damages too. Protecting your office against natural disasters should be the main priority now that they occur more often because of climate change.
It’s estimated that natural disasters have cost the US more than $600 billion for the last five years. Each hurricane, on average, had cost the country a billion dollars each. The individual cost of damages is marginally higher for businesses. Here are some ways to protect your business against natural disasters.
Get Insurance
If your office is located in areas prone to natural disasters, you must get insurance. This will ensure that you never have to worry about losing too much money due to the damages of natural disasters.
To get the necessary help, meet up with your financial advisor. They will help you determine how much risk you can take and how much you should pay for your insurance policy. They can also help you customize your insurance plan so that you can afford its costs annually. A good insurance plan will be your first line of defense when overcoming the costs of damages from natural disasters.
Have an Emergency Evacuation Plan
One of the most crucial things you should prepare for is the life of your employees. They are essential to your company, and if the storm hits your office during business operations, you’re going to need an emergency evacuation plan.
An emergency evacuation plan can be formed from regulatory procedures that your state provides. However, if you are in the manufacturing industry or any industry that uses pieces of machinery, you might have to formulate your own emergency evacuation plan. Contact the authorities regarding this to help you create a unique plan for your company.
Unclog Your Drains
The most common damage in every workplace caused by natural disasters is flooding, especially if your office space is on the lower floors of the building. One way for you to proactively stop this from happening is by keeping your drains unclogged.
Clogged drains can lead to severe flooding, especially during hurricanes. They can hinder your office’s ability to get rid of floodwater, leading to structural damages, damages to electrical wiring, and also destroying office equipment. This is why you must get services from a local plumbing company when you see clogged drains in your company. This will help your office control floods in moments of natural disasters.
Another way you can prevent floods from entering your workplace is by installing flood barriers in your doors. These flood barriers can stop knee-high water from entering your office. It’s also essential that you remove carpets from your workplace as floods can easily damage them. This will help you save money on maintenance.
Back Up Your Data
Data damages can cost your company thousands of dollars if left unprotected. Thankfully, permanent data damages are something you should be able to avoid.
You can avoid permanent data damages by manually backing up important files. For example, use hard drives and transfer essential data or set up a permanent recovery state through Windows. Another way you can protect your data is by utilizing Cloud services. Various companies offer these services, and they can keep your essential files online where natural disasters can’t damage them.
The process of saving essential office files is all up to you. First, consider your budget and choose one that fits right well with your company.
Prepare a Recovery Action Plan
By the end of the day, you’ll have to prepare for the worse. You can do this by creating a recovery action plan for your company. This plan should include your insurance, how much it covers, how you can operate with minimal resources, and what services or products you can salvage to gain revenue. All of these will help you function and regain whatever you’ve lost during the disaster and hopefully put your business back on track.
When a natural disaster hits, there’s not much you can do but follow our tips above. It’s all about what you do to recover that will make a difference. Count your possible losses, file for claims, and protect your office the best way you can. Don’t give up, and know that it’s okay to work with whatever you have left after a disaster. Always remember that there is always light by the end of the tunnel, and by getting through this disaster, your company will learn to become ever more resilient in the future.
