Living in South Florida and being in the midst of hurricane season, you should know the impact that a major storm could have on your business. Do you and your employees have a plan in place to get you back to business as safely and as quickly as possible? FPL, a WCC Silver Trustee Member, offers some quick storm prep tips to help get you started.
Plan ahead:
Ensure your employees’ contact information is up-to-date and that you have a plan in place to communicate after the storm passes.
Determine if your business is in a flood and/or evacuation zone and review evacuation routes; identify an emergency temporary site.
Identify what you need to secure your building or office.
Review your insurance coverage, photograph or videotape your building or office – inside and out.
Before a storm:
Gather supplies to secure the exterior of your office and protect interior furniture.
Fully charge all portable electronics.
Make multiple back-ups of computer files and data, and store records off premises.
Record a special voice message informing employees and customers the status of company operations.
Close your offices with sufficient time to allow employees to secure their own homes; inform clients that you’re closing early and when you plan to reopen.
After a storm:
Watch for downed power lines. Call 911 or FPL at 1-800-4OUTAGE to report fallen power lines that present a clear and imminent danger to you or others. Do not attempt to touch any electrical power lines, always assume that every power line is energized.
Stay connected with us, report an outage and get updates at www.fpl.com, which is also accessible with mobile devices.
In case of interior water damage, immediately turn off your circuit breakers, disconnect all electrical appliances and turn off all wall switches. Remember, never stand in water while operating switches or unplugging any electrical device.
If you use a portable generator, read and follow all the manufacturer’s instructions and safety guidelines.
For more storm and safety tips, visit our website.