Are You and Your Property Prepared for an Emergency?

5/30/2018 (Permalink)

Flood disaster cleanup efforts.

If you have never found yourself in an emergency disaster situation, you can consider yourself
lucky. As a trusted leader in emergency services, we assist property owners each and every
day with disasters that they suddenly find themselves facing, and many of them don’t know
where to begin.

Fortunately, we’re here to help. And we can assist you with providing some insight on how you
and your team of trusted professionals can and should prepare yourselves, so that if you’re
faced with an emergency, you know where to begin.

If you are also someone who does not have a business continuity plan in place, you are not alone.

However, being prepared for any situation is vital. First and foremost, for the safety of others,
and secondly, for the preservation of your property. We have partnered with The American Red Cross in situations of emergency and disaster, so with that, here are some tips to exercise emergency preparedness:

1. Know the Needs of Your Residents and Staff – Are there people within your building/
property that may need help exiting during an emergency? Who will be there to assist
them?
2. Where are the Exit and Egress Points? – If you have a multi floor building and the doors
to the escape route are blocked, can someone safely exit through a window?
3. Design Your Emergency Exit Plan – Find the safest routes and back up routes to exit the
building and identify where the safest & closest meeting area is during emergency
4. Execute drills of emergency plans – Educates and informs residents and staff to proper
egress from property
5. Train staff on the SERVPRO Emergency Ready Plan (more details on this later!) –
Prepares them for the unexpected
6. Know your local resources and contacts – Faster response time for providers to assist in
a disaster.
7. An overwhelming majority of business have a preparedness plan in place. Do you? Planning
ahead can serve as an insurance policy aimed at peace of mind for homeowners, property
managers and businesses. Knowing that you are ready for whatever happens can give you
some peace of mind so that in the event you find yourself in the midst of a disaster situation,
you’re equipped to handle it.
8. 15-40 percent of businesses fail following a natural or manmade disaster. 
9. 94 percent of small business owners believe a disaster could seriously disrupt their
business within the next two years. 

One way we can help you is by assisting you in developing a free SERVPRO EmergencyREADY Profile for your business. The Emergency Ready Profile, or ERP, can help minimize business interruption by having an immediate plan of action. It’s essentially a database
of everything you need to know in relation to your property with emergency contacts – all in one
place – available to access anywhere you have internet connection. Knowing what to do should
an emergency arise can make all the difference.

Here’s a little bit more about the SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile:
1. Free assessment of property – No need to allocate funds
2. Provide a concise profile document that contains only the most critical information
needed in the event of an emergency – The best way to be prepared
3. Identification of key decision makers – An established chain of command can expedite
restoration process, saving time and money
4. Guide to the property or building after a disaster – Minimize the time your business is
inactive or property is inaccessible
5. Establish your designated provider in mitigation and emergency restoration – SERVPRO
is an industry leader, no disaster is too small or too large
6. Provides facility details such as locations of shut off valves, access points and
emergency resources – Having a reference of what to do and how to do it allows emergency
personnel and you to be ready for whatever happens

Depending on your location in San Diego County, your home, property or business might be
more susceptible to a flood or to a fire. Living in California, everyone can potentially be harmed
by an earthquake. So, the most important thing for you to do is make a plan and become
prepared. Take the opportunity to look at www.ready.gov and find out additional ways that you and those important to you can be more prepared for natural and manmade disasters.

If you find yourself in need of a disaster cleanup company, call SERVPRO of San Diego City SW 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 619-269-5004. 

For more information or to request a free Emergency Ready Profile for your property, call Tanya of SERVPRO of San Diego City SW at 619-269-5004, or you may reach her by email at
tanya.SERVPROsdcsw@gmail.com.