The destructive nature of natural disasters of all types can not only put you and others in danger, but they can also cause significant damage to your residential and commercial properties. Knowing this, it’s imperative that you know what to do if a natural disaster is imminent.
However, the mere idea of dealing with a natural disaster and its resulting destruction can be overwhelming and might cause one to panic. Whether it’s a fire, hurricane, tornado, or major storm, you need to be ready to react in order to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues, and your property.
Continue reading to learn more about what you need to do when a natural disaster occurs.
Stay Informed
One of the most important things to do if there’s a natural disaster coming your way is to stay informed. Being informed can make a significant difference in your preparation for a natural disaster.
Pay attention to news outlets, and check for any updates by tuning into television news programs, news websites, social media, and even the radio. These outlets can let you know how severe the disaster is, what areas will be affected the most, whether you need to evacuate the area, or if you need to take shelter in your basement. With this information from trusted news outlets, you can properly prepare yourself and your home and ensure you remain safe during a disaster.
Have an Emergency Plan
With an impending natural disaster, follow your emergency plan. Ideally, you should already have an emergency plan. But if you don’t already have one in place, then you should create one so long as there’s time for it. It’s important to have a plan in place, because it allows you to be prepared when an emergency strikes instead of having to figure out what to do at the last minute.
Come up with evacuation routes in case you are required to leave your property and develop a communication plan to ensure you can keep in touch with your family. Make an emergency kit, too; gather emergency supplies, such as water, nonperishable food, and a first aid kit.
Before there’s any sort of disaster, it’s important to go over the emergency plan with your family and with your staff at your place of business. This will ensure that everyone is familiar with the plan ahead of time and knows what to do in the event of a natural disaster.
Prepare Your Property
If there’s time to do so in a safe manner, prepare your home and/or business for the impending disaster. For example, if a hurricane is coming, you’ll want to board up your windows. With any serious storm, there can be high speed winds that are powerful enough to knock over trees and other objects and blow around various debris. Because of this, you should bring in any objects from outside that might be blown around and damage your property, but only if you have the time to do so.
In the event that you don’t have the time to safeguard your home or business, then don’t rush and try to. Your property may suffer by becoming damaged as a result, but this is better than putting yourself at risk of being hurt. Your safety and well-being are more important than your property.
Prioritize Everyone’s Safety
When there’s a disaster, your main priority should be yours and others’ safety. That being said, make sure all inhabitants of your home and/or business are safe, comfortable, and accounted for. If you and others would feel safer in an unaffected area, then feel free to take shelter elsewhere even if you’re not required to evacuate.
Assess the Damage
When the disaster has ended and you’ve returned to your property, you need to evaluate the damage the disaster has caused. Start with the outside and inspect the building’s exterior for damage. If it’s safe to reenter your home or business, then check it out for damage inside as well. Document any damage you find to help you keep track of what harm has been done and to have as evidence for insurance claims.
Professional Storm Damage Cleanup
In the event that a natural disaster strikes and damages your home or business, then you’ll need to seek assistance for any storm damage.
At ServiceMaster NCR, we can help properties that have suffered damage by hurricanes and other severe storms through the storm damage restoration services we provide. Whether your home or business has experienced structural damage, water damage by flooding, and/or other kinds of damage, our professional technicians are prepared, trained, and equipped to tend to your property no matter the time of day. Within our storm damage restoration services, we provide flood cleaning, debris cleanup, structural repairs, board up and tarping services, and more.
