It’s hard to believe another hurricane season is here again. Last year’s season was brutal, and many areas still haven’t recovered from the damage incurred from Dorian and a variety of less dramatic but still damaging storms and floods. Yet here we are again, and once again, many businesses and property owners are unprepared.
One of the things we learned from last year’s season, is that just because your property is in an area that usually doesn’t have problems with hurricanes, doesn’t mean that it won’t this time around. And the biggest mistake property managers make? Waiting until a hurricane is on its way to get help.
Why You Need to Get Help NOW
Whether your properties are in an area that is generally prone to hurricanes or not, you can’t afford to wait until meteorologists tell you a storm is on its way before you contract for recovery help.
Waiting will cost you in several ways:
- Your financial cost will escalate. The cost of hurricane response operates on the same supply and demand principles as everything else. If you wait until a hurricane is on its way, demand for catastrophe response services goes up, while supply goes down… meaning the cost to hire someone will be much higher than if you had contracted with them in advance.
- The quality may be worse. The best hurricane response teams will be in highest demand before, during, and after a hurricane. Furthermore, they’ll be responsible with their resources and not contract with more companies than they can reasonably serve. This means you may be left vetting your catastrophe response team from among new, irresponsible, or predatory companies.
- Response will be slower. If you do manage to find a great team to serve you, you will nevertheless be at the bottom of their priority list, meaning they will respond more slowly than if you had been on their client list from the start.
- You may not find help at all. Depending on the severity and extent of the hurricane, you may not be able to find a response team that has any availability at all. When this happens, it’s possible that your properties may never recover from the storm, even years or decades later, just as many properties have never recovered from Katrina.
What It’s Like to Have a Hurricane Response Team Before the Hurricane Announces Itself
When you contract with a reputable and experienced catastrophe and hurricane response firm on an ongoing basis, you ally yourself with a partner that is equipped to get your properties back in business asap after a storm. Here’s what it’s like to have the right team on your side:
Before the Storm
As the storm approaches, your hurricane response team will be in communication with you to make sure you’re prepared and are executing on your plan. Simultaneously, they’ll be preparing their own resources for deployment, making sure their teams are on call and lined up in the best locations to respond quickly to any post-storm need. If the storm threatens to cause substantial damage, they may contract with additional teams from other areas of the country to ensure adequate resources to respond.
During the Storm
While the storm is raging, you’ll rest easy knowing that whatever it brings, your response team is ready to be there for you afterward. They’ll be monitoring the storm’s progress, and communicating with you regularly as new information becomes available. They’ll also be there to answer your questions and help allay your concerns.
After the Storm
As soon as the area is safe to enter, your hurricane response team will get on site and immediately go to work assessing the damage and preparing a response plan. This fast response is critical for reducing the impact of water damage, which is much easier to treat within the first 72 hours. After that time frame, simple water damage may escalate to mold damage, which is much harder and more expensive to remediate.
In contrast, if you don’t already have a team on your side, the days before, during, and after a hurricane approaches will be filled with stress. You may be unable to operate in the days prior, as you scramble to find help and prepare for the oncoming storm, and it will take much longer and be more costly to recover from any damage your buildings do incur.
We’ve been supporting clients through disasters for more than 30 years. We would love to be your partner this hurricane season. Contact us today, and prepare to rest easy whatever comes your way.
