What Is Your Business’ Severe Weather Plan? | SERVPRO of East Cobb

1/19/2022 (Permalink)

If your Cobb County business has suffered storm, flood or any other type of water damage call SERVPRO of East Cobb today!

A severe weather plan is something any business owner should have. In addition to your insurance policy and your fire evacuation protocols, putting a severe weather plan in place is one of the key things you can do to keep yourself, your staff and your business safe from harm. 

Because the frequency and severity of severe weather has been trending upward in recent years, the best time to plan for the threat is now. If you do not yet have a plan in place for severe weather, you are in the right place. Below, we will go over some key elements of severe weather safety planning for commercial spaces to help guide you as you draft a plan that works for your company.

How to Draft a Severe Weather Plan for Your Business

| Designate an Area for Sheltering | When severe weather comes through the area, it is important to have a place to seek shelter in your commercial space. Ideally, you will designate a space toward the interior of the building, without any windows and as close to the ground floor as possible. For example, in a grocery store, a walk-in produce cooler would likely be the safest spot to be. Make sure you have this spot picked out in advance and have clearly communicated to employees where they should go when there is severe weather around.

| Pack a Workplace Emergency Kit | Severe weather will often require you to shelter in place until the threat has passed, and can often interfere with power and other services. It is important to have an office emergency kit, containing nonperishable food items, sealed water bottles, first-aid supplies and flashlights with corresponding batteries. Ideally, you will store this in the area you will be sheltering in so it is easily accessible.

| Assign Roles to Key Employees | In the chaos of a severe weather situation, it is important to make sure everyone is safe and accounted for in a timely manner. Enlist the help of key employees in doing this—make sure you have a person who will do a headcount and round up anyone who needs shelter if it is too much for you to handle alone.

*If your business is damaged by severe weather, SERVPRO of East Cobb is here to help. Contact us 24/7 at (770) 424-0400 for immediate help/emergency services or visit www.SERVPROeastcobbga.com for more information about our commercial restoration process and how we can help.