Prep Your Building Management Team for Bad Weather and Storms

With hurricane season already upon us, is your commercial real estate building prepared for an emergency? Property owners and managers are responsible for reducing risk exposure, safeguarding occupants and staff, and, ultimately, reducing the expense associated with insuring CRE portfolios against liability.

“The massive destruction hurricanes can bring has been seen in recent years from the Gulf Coast up through the Northeast,” said Richard Reed, senior vice president of Disaster Cycle Services.

Hurricanes can bring heavy rains that cause major flooding; destructive winds that down power lines, uproot trees and damage buildings; and storm surges that travel several miles inland destroying everything in its path.

On May 22, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted a near-normal or below-normal 2014 Atlantic hurricane season with 8 to 13 named storms. From those projected storms, 3 to 6 could become hurricanes, with 1 to 2 of those possibly becoming a Category 3 or higher hurricane. While the hurricane outlook may be normal, it only takes one storm to deliver a devastating blow.

“If a hurricane strikes your community, it won’t matter whether the predictions were for a season above or below average. What will matter is what you did to prepare,” said Reed.

To assess your property’s readiness level, use this seven-point checklist to determine if there is a successful emergency response plan in place:

Checklist- Implementing a Successful Emergency Response Plan for your Commercial Real Estate (CRE) property

Did you know? Building Engines’ Suite of Risk Management Tools enable property management teams to automate and improve five key areas of operations: fire & life safety, incident tracking, certificates of insurance, visitor access and emergency broadcasting. With BE-Mobile, the industry’s leading mobile App, teams can respond instantly to incidents or send an emergency message from anywhere in the field. Click here to learn more!

BONUS: The free Red Cross Hurricane App puts real time information on hurricane safety at your fingertips. Features include information on Red Cross shelters and a toolkit with a flashlight, strobe light and alarm. The one-touch “I’m Safe” button lets someone instantly tell family and friends they are okay. People who are traveling or have loved ones in hurricane-prone areas can also use the app to receive weather alerts. The Hurricane App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. Learn more about Red Cross mobile apps.