Natural disasters are unexpected, unpredictable, and unbelievably difficult to recover from. A fire, tornado, hurricane, or flood can occur at any time, and your business needs to have a plan to bounce back. Listed below are some helpful disaster recovery tips to guide you when Mother Nature takes a turn for the worse.
Get Insurance If You Don’t Have It…NOW!
This is not something you can wait on. You need insurance for your business, even if you are only leasing the building you work in. There are different insurance plans to suit your specific needs, so you can get the best possible coverage for your business. Before you complete any other steps in this disaster recovery plan, make sure you have enough insurance to cover your expenses in a natural disaster.
Report the Damage to Your Insurance Company
It takes a little time for insurance claims to get processed, so you need to get started as soon as possible. If you do not want to start the official claim right away, you should at least call your insurance agent to explain what happened. They will make a note of the event on your account so you have an accurate record to look back on.
Take an Inventory of the Damage
Right after the natural disaster, take an inventory of the damage in detail. This is going to be extremely beneficial for you when you go to file an insurance claim. Follow these steps when taking inventory:
· Take pictures of the overall damage and individual items/areas you are going to report
· For damaged items, note where the item was when it was damaged
· Leave the property as untouched as possible until the insurance adjuster arrives
· Make note of any changes that happen before the adjuster arrives, like mold development or fallen debris
In order to get the most money possible for your recovery efforts, you need to keep an accurate record of your property post-disaster. The more notes you take and the more pictures you snap, the better off you will be.
Get a Post-Disaster Inspection
Your insurance company will probably send an adjuster out to your property to assess the damage, but it would be wise to hire an inspector of your own. Insurance adjusters have a tendency to be biased in their inspections, finding as little damage as possible to minimize the costs your insurer will have to cover. If you have proof of the damage from your own inspector, the insurance company will have to take those damages into consideration. Time is of the essence for this process, so get an inspection as soon as you possibly can.
Clean up Your Property
Now comes the fun part – getting your office back in order. Hire a team of post-disaster cleaners to get rid of the damage and restore your property back to normal. It’s important to have professionals complete this process because of the mold, soot, and other hazards you may have after a disaster. With the right help early on, you will soon be able to move on from this unexpected catastrophe.
