How To Minimize Flood Damage to Your Business

2/13/2019 (Permalink)

If you have flooding, remember not to panic.

Prepare Your Business From A Flood Damage

There is never a good time to deal with flood damage in Santa Maria, CA. Different types of flooding include burst pipes, flash floods, and sewage backup. They can be hard to prepare for and even harder to predict. Here are a few tips to ensure that you are doing the most you can to protect your property from disaster.

Act Now

Sometimes you won't have time to prepare your business before a storm hits. If your property experiences flooding, remember not to panic. You can avoid most of the damage with these steps.

• Stop the flow of water and turn off circuit breakers to reduce risk of injury.
• Call your storm damage restoration company immediately.
• Remove small furniture items, books, papers, and breakables to a higher floor or a dry room.
• Put cinder wood blocks under the legs of furniture to raise them above water level.
• Lift all cushions, rugs, drapes and other fabric items away from water, and set them outside to dry if needed.
• Place sandbags around doors and windows to divert running water and soak up standing water.

Prepare for the Worst

While the forecast can be erratic, one of the best ways to avoid heavy damage is to be prepared before a storm descends. Perform routine maintenance on the building to prevent water from pooling in areas. Make sure to clean out storm drains and patch holes in parking lots. Regularly inspect doors, windows and drains, and bring them up to code.

Keep an Updated Flood Action Plan

Having a flood action plan can help you get your business running right after a disaster. Keep yourself and your employees updated on weather forecasts and storm warnings. Have the numbers of insurance providers and emergency services in one place. Make an evacuation plan and perform drills regularly. Know how to locate all utility taps and circuit breakers and how to safely shut them off in case of a flood.

When you have a well-constructed plan, you will feel much better about handling a disaster such as flooding. Just because the weather can be unpredictable doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared.