Kansas City-area businesses operate in a region where severe weather is a fact of life. Hail, damaging winds and tornadoes arrive in spring and summer, flash flooding can follow heavy rain, and winter can bring dangerous cold. Add the everyday risks of fires, plumbing failures and equipment problems, and almost every business will face an emergency at some point. The difference between a short interruption and a long closure is often whether a plan exists before it happens.

What the Kansas City Metro Has Already Seen

In February 2021, the metro endured a historic deep freeze. Kansas City set a record low of around minus 9 degrees, the area had six straight days when highs stayed below 10 degrees, and power companies began rolling blackouts that affected about 60,000 customers in a single day. Frozen and burst pipes were among the most common problems. Severe weather is not limited to winter either. Recent years have brought hail, strong winds and confirmed tornadoes in Johnson County.

Events like these show how quickly business operations can be disrupted by factors outside your control, including your building, your power and your supply chain.

What Is a Pre-Loss Emergency Plan?

A pre-loss plan, also called a business continuity plan, lays out the preventive and recovery steps your business will take before, during and after a disaster. It helps your employees know what to do, who to call and how to keep operating while your building, technology and equipment are restored. Planning ahead can help limit the severity of disruption, prepare for remote work if your office is damaged, speed up the restoration process, minimize financial losses and avoid closing your doors permanently.

What Your Plan Should Cover

• Know your risks. List the events most likely to affect your location, such as tornadoes, hail and wind, flash flooding, extreme cold and fire.
• Create a response plan. Audit your security systems, identify vulnerabilities and run drills so your team knows what to do.
• Establish communication. Keep an updated list of emergency contacts, insurance information and procedures, and decide how employees and tenants will be informed.
• Back up records. Scan important documents and store them offsite or in the cloud.
• Plan for evacuation and shelter. Mark exit routes, keep exit signs lit, and designate safe outdoor meeting areas and indoor storm shelter areas.
• Build an emergency kit. Prepare for a few days without power or running water.
• Review your insurance. Know your deductibles and what your policy covers for water damage, fire, severe weather and business interruption.

Questions Property and Facility Managers Should Ask

• Do we have standard operating procedures for staff during a local or area-wide event?
• Would our tenants know what to do in an emergency?
• Who has the authority to make decisions if the building is closed after hours?
• Who is our restoration contact, and have they already seen the property?
• Do we know the regulations that may affect how emergencies are handled?

How a Restoration Partner Can Help You Plan

ServiceMaster Restore offers commercial pre-loss planning, including business continuity planning and educational seminars on disaster preparedness. It also offers a Priority Customer Agreement, under which enrolled customers receive expedited emergency response for after-hours or area-wide emergencies, including immediate service to stabilize the property and mitigate further damage. If you already have a recovery plan in place, a restoration team can help carry it out.

ServiceMaster Restoration by Diamond Quality Services is a locally owned restoration company serving Lenexa, Overland Park and the surrounding Kansas City area. Our team is available 24/7, every day of the year, and we are backed by a national brand with more than 65 years of experience.

Ready to plan ahead? Contact ServiceMaster Restoration by Diamond Quality Services to talk about water for your Kansas City-area business.