Hurricane prep checklist for facility managers

Before the season

• Keep a current contact list for staff, tenants, your insurance agent, utilities and vendors. Store a copy off site.
• Photograph and video every room, the roof and the exterior. Date the files and keep them in cloud storage. Before-and-after photos help with insurance claims.
• Review your policy with your agent, including flood coverage, which is usually a separate policy. New flood policies generally have a waiting period before they take effect, so do not wait for a forecast.
• Find and label the water, gas and electrical shutoffs. Make sure more than one person knows where they are.
• Clear roof drains, gutters and downspouts. Look for loose flashing and roof damage.
• Trim trees and palms and take down dead limbs before they become projectiles.
• Test generators and sump pumps. Check fuel.
• Back up files and records to somewhere other than the building.
• Decide who holds keys and alarm codes, and who can approve emergency work while you are away.
• Line up your vendors now: cleanup and water extraction, board-up, electrician, roofer. After a storm everyone is calling the same people.

When a storm is in the forecast

• Bring in or tie down everything outside: furniture, signs, trash cans, planters.
• Move electronics, files and inventory off the floor and away from windows. Cover them with plastic.
• Close shutters or board windows where the building allows.
• Put sandbags at low doorways if the site takes on water.
• Clean out floor drains and exterior drains.
• Photograph the building again, inside and out.
• Unplug equipment that does not need to run. Fuel vehicles and generators.
• Follow local officials on evacuation. Do not keep staff in the building to watch it.

After the storm

• Wait until officials say it is safe to return. Watch for downed power lines, and do not walk into standing water in a building until the power is off.
• Photograph and video all damage before anything is cleaned up or thrown out.
• Call your insurance agent early.
• Get the water out and the building drying fast. The EPA advises drying wet building materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
• Check for water you cannot see. Water travels inside walls and ceilings well past the visible damage.
• Keep receipts for every emergency repair and purchase.

Who to call

Gulfside handles storm cleanup and water extraction for commercial buildings in Galveston County and the Clear Lake area: leak detection, water extraction, drying, sanitation and repairs. Call (832) 620-3874 any time.