It’s official: You know a hurricane is headed your way. You have performed all the steps necessary to keep your people safe. But are there last-minute actions you can take to minimize the damage to your building?

Here, Church Mutual offers suggestions for what you can do after your local municipality issues a hurricane watch:

• Create an inventory of your facility. If your facility is flooded or damaged by high winds, you will need to make an insurance claim. It is difficult to make a claim, however, when you aren’t sure what you lost. Remember to take pictures and videos and store copies of those off-site.
• Put your continuity plan into action. Now is the time to put all your preparations to use. If any employees, volunteers or members are in your facility, send them home. Make sure you have contact information for everyone in your organization. Ensure your leadership team knows who is responsible for securing your facility and assessing damage after the threat has passed.
• Install hurricane shutters. Your shutters serve as the first line of defense against heavy winds and flying debris, protecting your windows and doors and, by extension, everything inside your facility. Use metal or polycarbonate plastic shutters — not plywood.
• Remove branches and limbs. If there is time, consider hiring a professional to trim any tree branches overhanging the building and any dead limbs or branches that may cause damage during the storm.
• Secure outdoor items. Move any outdoor items such as chairs, portable tables, equipment and materials to a secure location so they do not become airborne during the hurricane and cause damage to the building.
• Check your drainage system one last time. When a hurricane is coming, you know your building’s drainage system will get a workout. Make sure debris isn’t plugging up gutters or downspouts.
• Securely close any garage doors, rollups or overhead doors. Even a crack could be enough to allow water to enter a building. You also don’t want to give high winds any leverage.
• Use sandbags or other water-filled barrier alternatives to help divert or block water from your structure’s foundation and from entering low-lying areas. Focus your efforts on placing sandbags at doorways, garage entrances and any known low points. Your local county or city emergency management agencies may be able to provide free sand and bags.
• Move furniture and valuables off the floor and, if possible, to higher floors of your building. Anything close to the ground runs the risk of water damage.
• Unplug small appliances, such as printers and toasters. Hurricanes can cause power surges, and anything plugged in runs the risk of damage.
• Fill plastic bottles with clean water for drinking. Depending on the hurricane’s severity, you may lose access to water utilities. Make sure you have enough water for several days.

Read more about hurricane safety, preparedness and recovery:

• Hurricane safety and preparedness.
• Could your facility be a hurricane shelter?
• Conduct a hurricane tabletop exercise.
• 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.

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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.