First Steps After Disaster Strikes Your Business

9/29/2020 (Permalink)

Natural disasters like tornadoes are unfortunately a reality in the greater Nashville, TN area, which is why it’s smart to verse yourself in what to do after disaster strikes your business. During 2020, the devastating tornadoes in March brought lots of disaster to our city, and now is the time to educate yourself to know what to do if something terrible comes your way.

If your business experiences a natural disaster of any type, this is what you should do first.

1. Stay out of the building until it is deemed safe to enter.

Never ever enter your storefront or office building until professionals deem that it is safe to enter following a disaster like a tornado, a fire, or a severe storm. There may be underlying structural issues that aren’t visible to the eye, and you should never risk your safety and well-being to enter a building without first having it examined post-disaster.

2. Call for professional disaster restoration help.

In order to have someone assess the damage, rely on the professionals. You can reach SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville at any hour of any day for emergency assistance by dialing (615) 232-9391. Call this number and relay the disaster that has occurred along with your business’s physical location, and after you talk to the operator, wait for help to arrive. There’s nothing that you should do before a professional can properly assess the damage that has occurred and take care of any issues that require immediate action.

3. Take pictures of the damage for the property insurance claim.

While you wait for the professionals to arrive from a safe distance away from your business’s building, you can take pictures of the damage from afar to document what has happened. These pictures will be important to pass along to your property insurance carrier so you can make a claim after paying your deductible to receive any money back for the damage.

Although it may seem counterintuitive to stay away from your business’s building and do nothing beyond call for help and take pictures to document the damage post-disaster, trust us when we say that doing less is the safest thing to do. Disasters are to be taken seriously, and you should always let the disaster restoration professionals assess the safety of your commercial property before approaching and entering it yourself.

When disaster strikes, SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville is here to help. Ring us at (615) 242-9391 for emergency assessments and restoration services after any disaster.