Oceanside, CA News

by Servpro of fallbrook/South Oceanside

Floods rank among of the most common and widespread natural disasters in the United States. Whether you live near a coastline, along city streets, in the mountains, near a river or even in the desert, there exists potential for suffering flood damage. In fact, nearly 25% of last year’s claims paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were for policies in moderate to low-risk communities. On average, floods cost $6 billion in annual losses in the U.S.

The interesting thing about this subject is that flooding can also result from plumbing failures, frozen pipes and damaged structures. Recently, I spoke with a retail shop owner whose business was disrupted by a plumbing problem in an adjacent commercial building; water spread into their floor space. Flood damage can affect your business operation in a variety of ways and can range in size from being isolated to a single room to entire floors being fully submerged.

Knowing how to prepare and deal with potential flooding in advance can make a difference!

Flood prevention and business-continuity tips:

Determine if your property is in a floodplain.  Review your insurance policies to assure coverage meets your needs.

Carefully assess how your company functions both internally and externally to determine which staff, materials and equipment are absolutely necessary to keep your business operating.

Plan what you will do if your building, plant or store is not accessible. (a good plans include all facets of your business).

Plan for key business processes to continue without interruption (example: payroll & communications).

Develop and review your emergency plans annually. Just as your business changes over time, so do your preparedness needs. When you hire new employees or when there are changes in how your company functions, you should update your plans and inform your people.

Visit: www.ready.gov/america/local/index.html for a comprehensive plan.

Develop a SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile--minimize business interruption, know what to do and what to expect in advance-- www.servpro.com/ready