Prepare for hurricane season

Atlantic Hurricane season starts June 1. With the frequency and severity of these storms increasing due to climate change, help ensure you are prepared to protect your property and avoid business disruption. Review these precautions and act now to protect your facilities.

Here are steps to take now and resources to keep handy.

Before a storm

Before a major storm hits, take time to review your emergency planning procedures and update them as needed. Hurricanes produce strong and dangerous winds along with heavy rain and flooding. With proper preparation, you can weather these storms and help reduce your exposure to a loss.

Along with potential wind and flood losses and other serious consequences, your facility could be affected by power outages, access difficulties, or interruptions to your water supply. Your emergency planning procedures should provide for these types of occurrences.

The most critical and economically practical action you should complete before a storm is to ensure that any rooftop equipment is properly secured. The FEMA Rooftop Equipment Maintenance and Attachment in High-Wind Regions brochure contains recommended guidelines on this topic.

Remove all loose items (including obsolete equipment/materials) from your roof. Also, check the facility for anything that could become windblown debris (like equipment, tools and trashcans) and either move them inside or secure them.

Confirm you have all necessary storm preparation materials available (onsite or offsite storage) now. This could include hurricane shutters, flood mitigation equipment, tarps, etc. Once the storm is headed your way, these items will be in high demand and may no longer be available

Assign someone to monitor the local river for cresting.

Implement your emergency response plan (ERP) and/or flood emergency response plan (FERP).

Review and implement the items on FM's flood and windstorm checklists.