Preparing Your Shop for a Hurricane

Mapping out a hurricane contingency plan might not be something a shop considers when making business plans for the year, but if you live along the coastline, there’s risk in not making it a priority.

The health and well-being of your family is priority No. 1, and if there is additional time, you want to protect your business assets.

Ready.gov has helpful resources that you can follow in detail. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Document all equipment with photos, serial numbers, and model names. Save this information on a Google Sheet.
2. Keep any equipment manuals and maintenance records. Copies are always a great idea.
3. If you still have equipment receipts, take photos of them on your phone and back them.
4. Brace and stabilize equipment to the best of your ability. Ryonet offers shop owners ways to accomplish this step.
5. Move all other electrically powered equipment (i.e., flashes, computers, tablets, etc.) to a different location if possible or stack them on top of tables.
6. Turn off all power from a power surge unit in your facility.

After returning, take an inventory of all the damage:

1. As you return, take photos of your shop in its current state.
2. Contact your insurance agent to assess the damage.
3. Contact a certified maintenance professional to assess and repair equipment.

If you have some insight to share on this topic, email mfennema@nbm.com.