Preparing your business for the storm as we begin Hurricane Season
If your business is in the projected path of a hurricane, you need to act quickly to protect your people and your property.
Steps you take now can go a long way toward keeping people safe and minimizing damage:
Be sure that employee contact lists are up to date.
Secure all doors and board up windows to protect against flying debris.
Clean out floor drains and catch basins and check drainage pumps.
Anchor and fill above-ground tanks with water or product to keep them in place during the storm.
Fill the fuel tanks on your emergency generator and fire pumps.
Make sure automobiles have full fuel tanks, as well.
Check to see that your fire protection equipment is working.
Make sure your important records are protected – or duplicate them and move them offsite to a safe area.
Shut off lines carrying gas or flammable liquids in case a pipe breaks in the storm.
Shut down production processes safely and turn off the electricity at the main power source.
Evacuate employees.
And don’t forget to tie down – or move inside – any items outside your building that could blow away in a powerful windstorm. Benches, chairs, plant urns, signs or potted flowers could become flying debris and cause substantial damage.
An action plan for hurricane recovery
Once the winds have died down utilize your employee call list to make sure they and their families are safe and secure. Assemble a recovery team to begin getting your business back on its feet.
Who should be on your recovery team? Include people qualified to repair electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems, as well as general maintenance people for cleanup. The team leader should make sure the team has cleanup supplies and any necessary replacement parts and equipment.
The team leader should assess the damage and develop an action plan that addresses priorities such as:
Safety hazards, including downed power lines, exposed electrical wires, leaking gas, etc.
Structural damage to buildings or damaged foundations.
Impaired fire protection equipment and alarms.
Critical production equipment and valuable stock required to restore production.
Completion of temporary repairs so people can access the building safely.
Here’s what your recovery team should do:
Require strict precautionary measures for any cutting or welding.
Eliminate any unnecessary ignition sources and enforce “No Smoking” regulations.
Establish a procedure for removing storm- or reconstruction-related debris.
Temporarily repair any holes or damage to building walls.
Assess and prioritize damaged contents to see what can be salvaged.
Photograph and/or videotape any damage.
In addition, your team will need to assess and repair fire protection equipment, security alarms and sprinkler systems and notify the fire department if any of those systems will be out of service.
Be extra careful during electrical restoration, and make sure an electrician has checked and dried all systems and equipment before energizing electrical circuits. Take care around damaged power cables.
All mechanical equipment and systems should be checked for leaks or damage and cleaned and dried, as needed. Any wet insulation should be stripped and restored. Be sure to test your water supply for possible contamination, as well.
Maintain adequate security by Buy Cialis performing a continual fire watch until normal operations can resume. Provide your employees with portable radios or cell phones and instruct them how to contact emergency response units.
Finally, keep your employees informed about any unsafe conditions and keep them updated on the progress of salvage operations.
Agency News:
Please note that our office will be CLOSED Thursday, July 4th in observance of the holiday.
Please have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Renee Smith was the Employee of the Month for June 2013. Renee has been a Personal Lines Account Manager at Moran since 2001. Congrats Renee!
Moran Insurance Announces 21st Annual Moran Golf Classic Raises Most Ever for Programs and Services for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Glen Burnie –Providence Center, a non-profit organization based in Anne Arundel County that serves adults with developmental disabilities, announced today that its 21st Annual Golf Classic raised the most funds in the tournament’s history. The proceeds from this year’s Classic netted nearly $70,000 for Providence Center’s dynamic programs and services for the nearly 500 men and women it serves. This year’s proceeds represent an $7,000 increase from last year’s tournament, which raised more than $62,000. The 21st Annual Moran Golf Classic, presented by Moran Insurance and Chiron Technology Services, Inc., was held on Monday, June 3, 2013 at Queenstown Harbor.
The tournament was questionable last Monday when at-times torrential downpours threated the day’s events. Shotgun start, which was slated to begin at 10:00 AM, was pushed back one half hour. At almost exactly 10:30 AM, the rains stopped and the nearly 200 participating golfers hit the links.
The event’s silent auction raised nearly $10,000 with sought-after items like two Southwest Airlines round-trip tickets, two Bethany beach house stays, a 55 inch flat screen TV courtesy of Best Buy stores, Providence Center pottery, children’s Adirondack chairs, and lawn care services, sports memorabilia and more than 50 other items from area businesses.
Providence Center CEO Chuck Coble expressed his gratitude for the record-breaking success. “Thank you to everyone that made this our best year yet,” Coble said. “I was concerned we wouldn’t even get to play this year with all of the rain. It not only turned out to be a beautiful day, but more importantly it was a great success for our programs and services that are so important to so many lives. Thank you to Moran and Chiron, and everyone involved, that came out and keep coming back to this great event.”
Providence Center golf committee co-chairs Conor Gilligan and Matt Lehmann released the following statement:
“We are so proud of this year’s results and the tremendous support that all of our sponsors, donors, and golfers provided to make this year such a success. Providence Center is doing important work by ensuring that those with developmental disabilities find their place in our communities and live a life of their own choosing. Everyone that stepped up to support the Classic and what Providence Center does each day is an important partner in the achievements that happen because of their work. Thank you and we look forward to building on this success for an even better year for our 22nd.”
