by Brianna Crandall — May 15, 2017 — After a hurricane hits, you want to get your company back to normal business operations as soon as possible. National facilities maintenance and repair company MaintenX International’s national subcontractor network of over 45,000 members can help companies recover from storms. Below, MaintenX offers some key hurricane response and recovery recommendations as the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season approaches on June 1.
Bill Schaphorst, vice president of Business Development at MaintenX International, stated:
After a major storm or hurricane, you need get back in business quickly. With a proper disaster plan and a team of trained staff in place, you will have a more effective response so you can lessen the impact of a hurricane on your business.
MaintenX has helped local companies recover after hurricanes for more than a decade. The company has the following suggestions for facilities’ restoration:
- Put people first
People are a company’s number one resource and priority. Above all else, make sure your employees are safe. This can include search and rescue efforts, injury treatments, and accounting for missing persons.
- Triage
Once the hurricane is over and the threat is passed, it’s important to decide what tasks should be done first. Assess the damages and determine what are the top items you need to tackle immediately to get your company back online. Don’t get bogged down on items that aren’t mission critical.
- Think short-term
Consider short-term recovery needs to get your business back up and running. This will include the restoration of communications and information technology (IT), alternative locations to continue to serve your customers, building and equipment repairs, and staff schedules.
- Think long-term
Based on damages, long-term recovery will also have to be considered. This includes filing necessary claims with insurance companies, performing repairs, and determining what equipment needs to be replaced, as well as placing those orders.
- Be prepared and stay flexible
It’s important to take proper precautions when a hurricane is an imminent threat. Safeguarding your facility and training staff accordingly will result in faster response times. However, no matter how much you prepare for an emergency, it’s impossible to predict the actual course of events as they unfold. Awareness, communication and flexibility are also required.
For more information on how to plan for severe weather, MaintenX offers a free Disaster Preparation Guide upon providing a name and e-mail address.
