If your organization’s facilities are located in an area at risk for hurricanes, it’s important to have a plan in place before you receive word of a threat. Even the weakest hurricanes can cause significant damage through high winds and flooding.

Church Mutual works with many organizations throughout the United States that must be prepared for hurricanes. Here are some steps you can consider taking:

Before the hurricane

• Develop an emergency plan, train staff and run drills. Practicing when there is no threat will build confidence in your staff, and they will need less direction from leadership in an emergency. Consider using our Hurricane Tabletop Exercise and Hurricane Exercise Evaluation to help your organization’s preparedness efforts.
• Prepare emergency kits. A hurricane and its aftermath could trap you, your staff, volunteers, members or patrons in your facility for an uncertain amount of time. Emergency kits should include nonperishable foods, bottled water, flashlights, clothing, blankets and batteries.
• Consider upgrading your facility. Many buildings in hurricane-prone areas have hurricane clips, gable end bracing, hurricane-proof doors and hurricane shutters. If your building does not have any of these protections, you may want to consider adding them to your organization’s budget.
• Re-adhere shingles to your roof. This can save you thousands of dollars in roof repair. You should strongly consider securing the services of qualified, insured professionals for this task.
• Trim your trees. Prune away branches close to your building and remove weak sections of trees that might easily break off. Here, too, you should consider hiring professionals to perform the job.
• Establish a business continuity plan. Make sure you know how you will continue operations during and after the hurricane and take steps to back up all organizational data.

When the hurricane threatens

• Communicate with your people. Make sure all the people in your organization—both those at your facility and those in other locations—know what’s happening when you have relevant information.
• Move your valuables. Shut down computers and electronics and transfer your organization’s valuables to a safe, high, dry place.
• Secure your building. Lock all your doors and windows and turn off your electricity.

After the hurricane

• Listen to local officials. Instruct all the people in your organization to stay where they are until officials give the all-clear. If they are in your facility, it may be too dangerous to leave, and if they are away from the facility, it may not be safe to travel there.
• Be cautious about re-entering your building(s). Once it is safe to return to the property, be careful about re-entering the buildings. Do not enter if there appears to be structural damage, you observe power lines down, or you notice the odor of natural gas. Wear appropriate protective equipment and be mindful of the hazards associated with flood water.
• Prevent infectious diseases. Do not eat or drink anything that has come in contact with flood water. Encourage your people to practice good hygiene, washing their hands with soap when running water is available and using hand sanitizer when it’s not.
• Contact your insurance company. Your insurance company needs to know about any damages to your facility as soon as it’s safe to reach out. They will be able to advise you as to next steps. Industry statistics show that mitigating claims as early as possible can possibly minimize the amount of damage or injury sustained. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), losses show a cost increase of around 15% on average each week for the first four weeks a claim is not reported.

Read more about hurricane safety, preparedness and recovery:

• ‍Could your facility be a hurricane shelter?‍
• Conduct a hurricane tabletop exercise.‍
• Last-minute hurricane preparation.‍
• Recovering after a hurricane.
  

What is your organization doing to prepare for severe weather?

Prepare and protect your organization from nature’s destructive forces by viewing our 10 Essentials of Severe Weather Preparedness. Then take action and step up your severe weather and natural disaster preparedness efforts by using our Severe Weather Preparedness Assessment to see what your organization has covered and discover areas that may need attention.

IMPORTANT: Keeping your organization’s contact information up to date with your insurance provider helps them serve you better, especially if they attempt to contact you before, during or after a weather event.

Additional resources:

• ‍Your Guide to Severe Weather Preparedness: Protect Your People and Property.‍
• Prepare Your Business Annually Before Hurricane Season | Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
• Hurricane Ready Business Prep Checklist | IBHS.

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The information contained in these materials is intended solely to provide general guidance on topics that may be of interest to you. While we have made reasonable efforts to present accurate and reliable information, Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. and its affiliates disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions or for any actions you take or fail to take based on these materials. The information provided may not apply to your particular facts or circumstances; therefore, you should seek professional advice prior to relying on any information that may be found in these materials.