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Prepare Your Business and Your Team for Weather Emergencies | SERVPRO of Spring Valley/Jamul
9/19/2023 (Permalink)
If your home or business was damaged in a storm, call SERVPRO of Spring Valley/Jamul to get you back in action.
When you run a business, you want to be prepared for everything. Preparation is a principle you also want to instill in every single one of your employees, too, so they are ready to help you succeed no matter what hurdle your company faces. A prepared team is a team that works well together and can be resilient through every situation.
You likely spend a good deal of time considering the various work-related obstacles your company may face, but have you also thought about weather disasters? Severe weather can cause disruptions in your workflow or even lead to long-term closures when your business is ill-prepared.
Create a weather emergency plan that can keep your team safe and help you avoid major losses.
In order to create a plan that covers your business thoroughly, get to know the weather your company will face. Take a look at every season and the risks they bring, and spend some time researching issues that have occurred in the past. Check out what other buildings have handled and investigate companies nearby and how their emergency plans work for them.
Spring Valley and the surrounding areas bring mostly mild weather year-round. While you don’t have to travel far to feel the cold of winter, weather in our area is almost always sunny and warm.
The mild weather mostly extends to storms as well, although we do have thunderstorms, heavy rains and strong winds. Fires are one of the biggest threats to our area, although flooding cannot be ruled out either.
Creating a complete weather plan means understanding where your business is on a flood map as well as your wildfire risk. Keep up with local weather on a daily basis, and look at long-term forecasts in order to begin preparing as soon as possible.
To keep your entire team on the same page, communication is key to your emergency plan. Not only should your staff be aware of local weather and have two ways to receive alerts during an event, but they should also have multiple ways to get internal communications.
Create a communication plan that clearly lays out what to do when, and send messages on multiple platforms. The goal of your communication plan should be to clearly and seamlessly relay exactly what your staff should be doing in order to prepare. The whole office needs to understand when it is time to gather supplies and when it is time to evacuate.
The need to evacuate may seem like an extreme situation, but sometimes it is the best way to keep everyone safe. Work with your staff to create an exit plan that allows them to safely get out from anywhere. Clearly label and illuminate doors and evacuation routes, and practice how your team should exit regularly.
When evacuation isn’t the safest choice, make sure your team knows where to shelter inside the building. Make sure your communication plan clearly dictates when and where to go, and keep supplies near your shelter. Choose a room without windows to avoid potential debris damage.
Create a plan that covers every potential scenario, and have your employees practice it often. Whether you are staying or going during an event, maintaining a calm demeanor will be the best way to ensure the plan is followed correctly and everyone stays safe. A prepared team can ride out any storm.
Don’t let extreme weather take control! If storms strike your business, SERVPRO® can help you restore your losses.