Being a great insurance broker isn’t only about making a stellar sales pitch—clients love it when they feel as if they’re truly learning on the side. Plus, giving out extra information is a great way to show command of your expertise. Make sure your clients are doing these five things to floodproof their establishments.
Pay attention to design and construction.
Before choosing a location for their business, owners should always consider potential risks. This factor, however, often competes with more tempting considerations such as property cost, great visibility, aesthetics—and ends up getting pushed aside. Furthermore, floods can easily slip people’s minds, especially if they grew up in areas where flooding rarely occurs.
Search social media or ask residents for pictures of the area during the most recent natural disaster—this will help your clients envision the potential damages and better prepare. Installation of storm shutters and hurricane-glass windows are recommended to enhance the resilience of the buildings. Upgrading to sturdier fixtures is always an option. However, it can be incredibly expensive for small businesses and offer no guarantee that one’s establishment will be able to withstand everything.
Consider using flood-barriers
Flood barriers can offer additional protection to one’s business by serving as a barrier between the property and the rising waters. Flood barriers come in many varieties, but most require manual deployment during an anticipated storm, which may disadvantage your clients. On sunny days, the barriers may be difficult to store due to size and weight.
Before spending time and money installing flood barriers, it’s best to check in with an expert on the local building code.
Create a Business Continuity Plan
In case of a natural disaster, emergency, or any other unplanned disruption in service, a business continuity plan outlines the owner’s strategy in recovering the business and continuing operations. What better way to prompt every business owner to consider worst-case scenarios carefully?
To create an effective business continuity plan, owners must first identify the flood risks and which critical business components will be affected. After determining which elements of the business will be paralyzed—such as electricity supply, delivery services, or supply of goods— the next step is to list the resources one can use to support or substitute these components. Lastly, the plan should also contain information on backup storage locations and maintenance of critical equipment (such as generators).
The great foresight required when writing a business continuity plan might make business owners feel like their plans are foolproof; however, one must always remember how these plans change as easily as their surrounding community.
Remember to clean up regularly.
Regularly cleaning a building’s roof drains, gutters, and downspouts is another essential step one can take to prevent breakage and flooding during heavy rainfall. Upon hearing about a storm warning, one should check the perimeter to see if any storm drains in the nearby areas seem clogged with trash or leaves. There will still be enough time to inform the local government or maintenance crew about it. Unfortunately for businesses, in times of disaster, the lack of maintenance of one area can cause a domino effect that cascades to all others.
Secure Flood Insurance
While the above mentioned steps all come with their limitations, there is something that your client can do: get Excess Flood Insurance. Ask your client what commercial property insurance they have; if it’s just basic, it most likely doesn’t cover floods. While they can’t control the weather, your clients can always be secured to handle what comes after.
About Snyder Specialty
Snyder Specialty, LLC is a New York-based underwriting facility that provides property and liability solutions for personal and commercial lines. Snyder Specialty expands your current capabilities with proven solutions for complex risks, specializing in coastal properties and hard-to-place risks. Find out more about the company’s range of services by calling (718) 362-8039.
