How to Protect your Commercial Business from Water Damage

2/19/2020 (Permalink)

Don't let this happen to your commercial property! Take these steps to prepare your property for an imminent storm.

When operating a commercial business, there are many factors to take into account when maintaining your property’s beauty and safety. Unlike a family home property where responsibility lays on fellow family members, a business must keep customers and employees in mind. This type of relationship is different, and if an unfortunate event were to happen to a client or worker where the property owner’s own irresponsibilities are at fault, heavy fines and consequences may follow. With this in mind, as an owner of a commercial space it is imperative to make sure your property is updated to appropriate safety standards. 

Each type of natural disaster damage comes with its own set of tips to achieve ultimate preparedness for the event. For now, water damage due to storms and flooding will be focused on.

In preparing for water damage due to floods and storm damage, a thing to note is where the water can potentially enter into your property causing a flood. For this, sealing off windows, doors, and any other small gaps can help in preventing damage. Special window sealers can be applied to protect these areas. Also, waterproof shields can be purchased to put over doors and windows as a more temporary solution to this. If the weather forecast says rain is imminent, taking these steps to protect your property will benefit it greatly. 

Another way water seeps into enclosed areas is when ceilings and floors are too weak to withstand the pressure of water from outside. If possible, investing in strengthening the shell of your property to withstand these conditions will help prevent flood damage. 

If water does happen to enter your property, it will most likely flood the lower levels, where utilities, tanks, and other devices to power the property’s functions are held. Anchoring these things down will make sure in the event of a flood they will not float away and possibly detach from important gas or water lines. 

Some other things to take note of are the condition of your property’s rain gutters and the surrounding land. Make sure the rain gutters are cleaned and have no cracks or openings. And for the surrounding land, note of any sloped areas that incline toward the property. If there is one, the water will fall down this slope and rest at the bottom of it, possibly flooding your property. This can be fixed by evening out these slopes and adding ground rain gutters that redirect excess water to the underground rain gutters. 

With these tips, your commercial property will be ready to undergo a storm that is coming its way. It is better to be over prepared than not at all! These small fixes can save you thousands in the long run, and maintain the safety of those doing business or consuming under your roof. For any additional information on natural disaster preparedness, read our blogs, or call us at our 24 hour emergency service line found at the top right corner of every page on the website.