Spring Flooding & Your Small Business: What You Need To Know

Owning a small business is tough. There are so many things to worry about, especially when it comes to the safety and physical integrity of your business. Springtime always brings with it a risk of flooding, whether that’s due to natural events such as ice-jammed rivers overflowing their banks, heavy rainfall or rapid snowpack melt, or as a result of infrastructure failures, when water mains break and streets flood.

Even a minimal amount of floodwaters entering your business can cause a significant amount of damage. If you own a business in Westchester county, it’s a good idea to always keep one eye on the weather forecast. We can and do get extreme weather events locally.

If local flooding seems likely, an ounce of prevention can be worth far more than a pound of cure. Taking preventative actions such as placing sandbags or other barriers in front of entrances or moving inventory and displays from the floor to higher ground can help minimize damage.

However, sometimes spring floods happen entirely by surprise, and you wind up with a situation where your business premises are flooding with water, mud, grease, and worse. If this happens, it’s important to take steps to protect yourself and your business.

There are three calls you’ll need to make upon discovering your business has been flooded. First, call your employees. While they may want to come in and help you with the clean-up, it’s important to keep your team out of the mess as much as possible. Flooded buildings are dangerous places, and the risk of falls, electric shock, and other hazards are very real.  It is essential to keep everyone as safe as possible.

The second call is to your Westchester County Disaster Restoration company for emergency pump out and additional Westchester flood restoration services.  A professional water extraction team will use high powered, industrial grade pumps to quickly and effectively remove standing water from your facility. Getting the water out right away is essential, because the longer the water is in your business, the more damage occurs to your property and your possessions.

Talk to the Westchester Disaster Restoration company about the scope of damage to your business, and what it will take to get your business back to normal. For most businesses, getting the doors open again as soon as possible after flood restoration is a top priority, and you’ll want to work with a restoration company that understands that. Understanding what can be saved, what will need to be replaced, and having a general idea of what was lost in terms of inventory, fixtures, and other possessions will better prepare you for your third call, which will be to your insurance agent. For tips on how to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses during the restoration process, click here.

The period immediately after a flooding damage restoration can provide the Westchester county business owner with an opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade. Publicizing a ‘Grand Reopening’ when you’re ready for business gives curious locals a chance to see how you’ve bounced back from the storm, often bringing in people you’ve never seen in your store before. Make sure to reach out to local media with your story as well. The resulting boost in traffic may not be enough to entirely offset losses associated with the spring flooding damage, but you may be able to recoup a portion and position your business to keep moving forward confidently.