No one likes to think they will ever find themselves in the path of a tornado. However, it’s essential to take a proactive approach to guard your commercial property, employees, customers, and business assets even if a storm never hits.
The sudden and often violent nature of a tornado can cause intense winds that measure over 200 miles per hour. They can also happen in any location in any season, although they tend to occur more often in the summer. It’s important for all business owners to know the signs of a tornado to help minimize losses.
Recognizing an Impending Tornado and Understanding Your Risk
The location of your business matters since tornadoes are most prevalent in the Midwest and Southeast. A loud roar that sounds like a freight train, a rotating cloud shaped like a funnel, and a cloud of debris coming closer towards the ground are the most obvious signs of a tornado on the way. You should also hear a loud siren warning people of the tornado. Signing up for severe weather alerts on your smartphone or computer can give you more advanced warning of the need to take shelter.
Tornado Preparation Tasks for Commercial Property Owners
As a business owner, you have more work cut out for you to prepare for a tornado than a homeowner does. For example, consider adding extra support to weak spots in your building structure to help the property withstand the tornado. Some other preparation tasks that we recommend include:
- Secure outdoor fixtures such as signs and satellites.
- When your building requires construction for repairs or expansion, make sure the construction crew uses products with a high wind rating.
- Store your company’s servers, electronics, and equipment in a secure area.
- Gather your top leadership teams together to write a contingency plan that outlines how to continue business operations if your company does sustain damage from a tornado. It should also include a plan to restore any data your business might lose.
- Locate the safest areas in your building and practice tornado drills with your employees at least once a year. If customers or clients frequently visit your commercial property, consider posting signs directing them where to take shelter in case of a tornado.
What Would Happen to Your Business if Disaster Strikes?
In addition to the above preparation steps, we encourage you to consider the value of business property insurance to protect your business investment. It provides financial reimbursement not only for tornado damage, but for events such as fires, floods, theft, and vandalism as well. To learn more about various levels of protection, contact Haughn & Associates to request an initial consultation by phone or in person at our office.
About Haughn & Associates
Founded by Michael Haughn in 1986, Haughn & Associates is a full-service, family-owned, independent insurance agency based out of Dublin, Ohio. H&A strives to provide the best possible price and unique insurance solutions across a myriad of industries, including construction, IT, Habitation & Commercial Property, Agriculture, and Engineering. Devoted to providing the best of business insurance, life and disability insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and bonds, H&A is proof that success lies in long-standing client relations and satisfaction. To learn more about how H&A can be of service to you, contact us at (877) 802-2278.
