What to Do After Storm Damage
What to Do After Storm Damage: A Checklist for Property Managers and Building Owners
Commercial property owners and managers have a lot of responsibilities. One of those duties is to protect tenants, employees and the property in the event of catastrophic damage.
For some commercial property owners, not planning ahead or knowing what to do in the event of a catastrophic storm can not only be time-consuming, but it can also disrupt business and be costly. With a proper plan in place, you can prepare your property and tenants return to normalcy quickly and safely.
Storm Damage Checklist for Property Managers:
- Assess the Damage Once the bad weather is over, assess the damage and make sure all buildings are secure. If your commercial property sustained catastrophic damage after a significant storm, the property could be hazardous. Ensure you are being as safe as possible while inspecting the damage.
- Inspect the following:
- Exterior of the Building: Check for signs of visible damage, such as broken gutters or missing structural components.
- Interior of the Building: Look for water damage, stains on the walls and floors, damp insulation, water leaks and broken windows. Check any floors in your building that are below ground level for signs of flood damage.
- Roof: Roofs are extremely vulnerable to storm damage. Strong winds, lightning strikes or heavy rain can cause holes in the roof, missing shingles, potential leaks or significant hail damage.
- Trees: Fallen trees and limbs cause billions of dollars of damage each year following significant storms. Remove any dead trees before a storm hits to minimize damage.
- Take Photos: Photos help inspectors know what to expect when they visit your property and are useful when dealing with your insurance adjuster.
- Contact Your Insurance Provider - Once you’ve assessed the damage, contact your insurance company. You must respond to your claim within 14 days. Once your insurance claim is approved, your insurance company has up to 90 days to send a check for repairs.
- Contact a Storm Damage Professional Contractor - Contact experienced storm damage professionals as soon as possible. Waiting too long after a major storm can cause secondary damage to your property, such as mold and mildew.
Brookstone Restoration has been in the property restoration business for a long time, and we’ve seen the effects of catastrophic storm damage. With our help, you will be able to quickly determine what needs to be done in the event of storm damage to get your commercial property back up and running.
After contacting Brookstone, a member of our team will perform a detailed inspection of your commercial property to assess the extent of the damage.
Upon completing the inspection, we will decide what type of equipment we will need to use to restore your property, such as advanced vacuums and pumps to drain water from the impacted areas or generators to run our air movers and dehumidifiers to protect your property from mold and mildew.
Once the area has been cleaned, we will continue to oversee your property’s restoration and keep you up to date on all improvements.
