INSURANCE
JAN LAMAN Harbour Insurance Services Inc
PREPARING YOUR BUSINESS FOR HURRICANE SEASON
Hurricanes are never a good thing , personally or professionally . If you ’ re a professional looking to do whatever they can to best prepare their business for the upcoming season , here are some useful tools to help you out with just that .
Double-check your coverage with your insurance agent
Sure , you ’ re pretty sure you ’ re covered . But are you absolutely sure ? Don ’ t take the risk of missing out on coverage because you didn ’ t double-check your coverage ! Get in touch with your agent and make sure that you ’ ve specifically got flood insurance , not to mention there is a 30 day waiting period before you are covered , so that is a must as far as planning ahead . It will help you be protected financially , but also make sure that you are being proactive -- a must for successful business professionals !
Make sure your employees are ready
On both a personalized note as well as a true professional one , you ’ ll want to make sure that your employees are ready for hurricane season . Encourage them to prepare their homes and loved ones for the season , and then pair that with the same emergency preparation for employees in your office .
For example , have emergency kits that can cover everyone for up to 72 hours in case of a fast occurring hurricane that storm-stays everyone . This includes normal things such as water , blankets , pillows , and first aid kits . Prepare your business itself When you want to make sure that you ’ ve got your business setting itself properly prepared for a potential hurricane , you ’ ll break this into exterior and interior jobs
so that nothing gets missed or left out in the chaos . For outside your office , this could include a certification from a professional that your roof can support a tree fall or severe winds . It also includes details such as the removal of low-hanging tree limbs and shutters for windows and doors .
When it comes to the inside , it ’ ll be details such as removing sensitive data or electronics to higher ground and / or backing up as much as possible off-site with cloud storage . Be ready to simply “ unplug and go ” if the need arises . This includes turning off the utilities if a storm hits . Consider reviewing your cyber liability coverage to be sure you are protected in case you have to leave in a hurry .
Have a continuity plan ready to go
One of the most obvious options to include in this is going to be the idea of having your employees ready to work from home . Since many adopted this quickly during the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak , this is now a worthwhile addition to hurricane preparedness .
You ’ ll also want to have your plan ready to encompass details such as how your business will continue through loss of access to , or use of , the office space , etc . Your business needs to have as strong an emergency preparedness plan as your home , after all !
From one detail to the next , preparing for hurricane season as a business can be a little overwhelming at first . But , if you ’ re looking for a way to make sure that you don ’ t get caught without a plan , these tips will help you prepare safely , in plenty of time to put it all into action , and also with the comfort of knowing that you ’ re , well , protected !
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