Hurricane Irma taught us a few lessons in hurricane preparedness, first and foremost—always be prepared for a hurricane when you operate a business in Florida. Even hurricanes that do not cause extensive damage can knock out power and leave businesses incapable of operating, leading to millions of dollars in losses. In fact, commercial insurance claims for loss of power damages related to Irma are through the roof right now.
If you dealt with a power outage during Irma, you don’t have to go through it again during the next hurricane—and there will be a next hurricane. Emergency preparedness plans, including reserving a backup generator through Cooling Power, ensures you have power and a plan no matter what the weather throws your way.
#1. Prevent Power Losses with a Backup Generator
Even though Hurricane Irma caused less damage in Florida than neighboring islands, power was still out for a long time. This caused a lot of upheaval and monetary losses for businesses across the state. Millions of businesses in the southeastern US were without power for days and some did not see power restored for over a week. Over 2,000 aerospace and aviation companies based in Florida were impacted, along with countless other businesses.
Next time a hurricane comes, you don’t have to be one of the millions without power. All you must do is preorder a generator through us before the first day of hurricane season, June 1st. You put down a deposit to reserve the generator and in an emergency, you are guaranteed the right generator for all your needs. Your deposit goes directly towards your rental fee and you do not incur premium surcharges applied to generators in an emergency when demand far outweighs supply. In other words, you are guaranteed a generator and you save money—a win-win. In the instance of a hurricane, we come out in advance to set up the generator so that it can automatically and safely power on when the local grid shuts down.
#2. You Should Always Follow Evacuation Orders
If you live or work in an evacuation zone it’s so important to leave when you are told. A lot of people choose to stay behind, but many of them that do end up trapped and in an even worse situation. In some cases, staying behind can turn dangerous or even deadly. Emergency managers that are working with the National Weather Service hydrologists, have a pretty clear idea where flooding is going to be worst. Keep in mind, neighborhoods told to evacuate are based on carefully analyzed data and in-depth knowledge of the situation.
Even if you’re unsure if your area will be evacuated, start packing up important papers, files, etc. and back up any data that could be at risk. That way, when it’s time to go, you’re prepared to leave right away.
#3. Hurricane Preparedness is Essential
Along with preordering a generator, there are several things you can do to increase your hurricane preparedness. There’s no need to wait for the next storm to hit. The best time to plan is now with the memory of Irma fresh in your mind. Some things to start working on include backing up all files on a regular basis so that if water damage causes data loss, you have a backup on a cloud server or other off-site location. You should also create a plan of action for employees and staff to follow prior to a hurricane making landfall, including relocation of company automobiles, alerting guests, or other tasks. Make sure everyone knows what they are expected to do and things will move a lot smoother.
#4. No Two Hurricanes are the Same
Just because you did not see any damages or lasting effects from previous hurricanes, doesn’t mean you won’t be impacted next time. Every hurricane is unique, and the only way to be prepared is to plan for the worst every single time.
Learn more about our emergency preparedness plans by visiting https://coolingpowercorp.com/our-services/emergency-planning/