How Floods could Affect your Norridge/Harwood Heights Business

7/31/2020 (Permalink)

We often think about the damage that floods can do to our homes, but we fail to think about floods affecting our businesses. Some businesses cannot recover from the damage that floods have caused.  Here are some of the ways floods can affect small businesses. 

Floods can cause major structure damage to your business, which can lead to shutting down your business for an indefinite amount of time while repairs take place. This can cause a lot of lost revenue for the business. Check to make sure your business has flood coverage, which can help relieve some of the pressure of the repairs. 

Floods can also damage inventory, documents, and machinery. These can be very expensive to replace. Try to store any inventory on shelves to make sure they’re not on the floor in case of a flood. Put documents in a safe spot and keep many copies to insure that they aren’t lost in case of a flood. 

Electrical damage can also occur due to a flood. Power and telephone lines can be affected, and while these are usually repaired quickly, depending on how widespread the damage is, it could take a few days to repair the lines. The lack of power can be devastating to many businesses that rely on power, like restaurants with refrigerators or freezers, or other businesses that rely on computers. If your business relies on power, consider having an emergency generator in case of a flood or other damage. 

Just a few inches of water can cause major damage to your business. It’s always better to be prepared for a disaster so you have a plan immediately after the event.