The frequency and severity of natural disasters like wildfires, drought, extreme heatwaves, and floods are increasing across Canada. For your small business, flooding can cause significant damage to buildings and cause supply chain interruptions, disruptions for your staff, and health and safety risks. Luckily, by planning ahead, you can reduce potential downtime and prevent injury if your business is affected by a flood.

What to do before a flood

Even if your region’s flood risk is low, take these proactive steps to help protect your business in the event of a flooding emergency:

• Create an emergency plan. Make sure your company’s emergency preparedness and response plans are clearly laid out and shared with all staff.
• Provide on-site emergency equipment and supplies. Always have reusable sandbags, submersible sump pumps, portable generators, fuel, portable lights, extension cords, air moisture sensors, dehumidifiers, and an emergency kit available and easily accessible.
• Retrofit your property. To protect your business, you may want to consider waterproofing, installing drainage systems, and elevating heating, cooling, ventilation, communications, and high-voltage equipment above expected flood levels.
• Connect with your insurance broker. Make sure your business has the right coverage against flood-related loss.

Prepare your small business for a potential flood by creating an emergency plan, stocking up on emergency equipment, and making sure you have the right coverage against flood-related loss.

What to do during a flood

If your business has been affected by a flood, here are some safety tips to consider during the flooding event:

• Follow evacuation orders. If an evacuation is announced, make sure all staff leave the premises immediately and steer clear of floodwaters.
• Shut down all equipment if it’s safe to do so. Follow your documented procedures and emergency plan to shut down or move equipment that may be affected by the flood.
• Protect all entryways from water. If it’s safe to be on your business’s property, use sandbags or plywood to block doors, windows, and onsite waste disposal and collection facilities from floodwater.

If your small business is flooded from a major storm, make sure you follow local evacuation orders, shut down essential equipment to reduce damage, and block off windows and doors to keep out floodwater.

What to do after a flood

Once the flood is over and it’s safe to return to your business’s property, here’s what you should do to reduce damage and prevent injury:

• Check for potential danger. Keep an eye out for downed power lines and fuel spills caused by the flood and report any damages to your local utility providers before entering the premises.
• Take photos of affected areas. Document all damage to your property’s structure, contents, and furniture to speed up the insurance claims process.
• Start cleaning up. Extract water from the premises to reduce damage and contamination. Start cleaning, sanitizing, and drying out your building and equipment as soon as possible.
• Test equipment. Thoroughly inspectany electrical, mechanical, fire protection, alarms, and other building systems before starting them up, and repair or replace these systems if needed.

It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to flooding. Be aware of your business’s risk for flooding and prepare your property and staff to significantly reduce your risk of damage, injury, and health risks due to flooding.

Take your preparations one step further and reach out to your licensed insurance broker to make sure you have the right coverage for your small business for flood-related loss.