Is Your New Business Ready For A Potential Hurricane?

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A new business owner has a lot to think about. They must think about keeping enough stock on their shelves for their customers, the hours of operation they intend to keep, and for thousands along the east coast's so-called 'hurricane alley', they also need to protect their business from potential storms. While you might know how to protect your home in the event of a storm surge or high wind, it is equally important to get your business ready for a hurricane as well.

Assess Potential for Damage

Before you put serious money into flood protection, assess your business' need for it. Is your business in an office in a high-rise building? Then you probably won't need the same kind of protection against water damage that a storefront on ground level would need. You also should assess how to protect against high-wind damage, like debris picked up by strong winds and impacting windows, especially if you are on a higher floor.

Back Up Data

Your inventory, customer information and any other vital documents and projects are most likely stored on computer systems, so make sure you back up your data faithfully and store copies on separate flash drives so the information is not lost. You might want to practice doing a recovery of your computer systems to ensure that back-up data is properly stored and easy to recover.

Have Alternatives in Place for Vendors

Your business might not receive damage from a hurricane, but your vendors might. There is a chance they may lose product or are unable to complete services they provide to you. In the potential event of this happening, have alternative vendors in place so your business can keep running while your primary vendors recover.

Find Alternative Offices

If your business or store is deemed unsafe to work from -- for example, you have water damage that needs to be repaired by a professional -- then you need to have an alternative place to work. This might be in your home or even a pop-up store at a center that hasn't been damaged.

Keep Insurance Updated

It is a good idea to meet with your insurance broker on a regular basis to keep your policy up to date. Make sure you have full coverage. This includes coverage for flood damage, fire, wind and even hurricane protection. You should know what your policy does and does not cover before a storm arrives.


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