Mitigate Storm Damage to Your Property

11/30/2021 (Permalink)

The best way to prevent storm damage is to prepare before the winds and rain hit. Prevent damages, such as missing shingles, a roof leak, broken furnishings, and other havoc by taking specific steps as soon as you know there's a storm on the way:

• Trim trees and shrubs around your business to prevent branches from breaking winds or becoming projectiles.
• Pack up furnishings outside your building and stash any decorations or marketing signs that aren't completely attached.
• Board up the windows. Again, the best time to gather these supplies is before there's any news of a storm. Purchase the hardware you'll need and store it safely until you need to use it.
• Reinforce any garage doors. These doors tend to be relatively flimsy. The damage to the doors or to your exposed inventory or vehicles could become very expensive.
  
  

Of course, proper maintenance is an essential step in protecting your company property.

Gather Evidence of the Damages

Before you take any cleanup steps and before you contact professionals to take care of the work, record the damage. First, take photos of all damage to document your losses for the insurance company. Make a written inventory of all commercial and personal property that was damaged. Don't forget to hold onto receipts when work is completed.

Practice Preventative First Aid

After the storm has passed, there are several steps you can take to keep your commercial property safe, avoid that annoying roof leak, and keep your repair costs down. One of the first is to address any damage to the roof. Use tarps and plywood to board up holes in the roof, cover holes in windows and skylights, and inspect the rest of the property.

Turn Major Repairs Over to Professionals

You may find that siding has been blown off the building or a tree branch has broken the building or some property directly. In many cases, a storm damage repair and cleanup professional is the best person to repair your damaged roof. There are many safety concerns to keep in mind before sending an employee to the top of your building. There's no roof leak more important than a person's safety.