Make Ready Your Property Before the Storm
The 2023 hurricane season is underway and we’re already seeing strong winds and rain. Officially, hurricane season is June 1st thru November 30th of every year. Historically, August thru October are the busiest months for storm activity. But, hands down, September holds the record for the most tropical storms and hurricanes year after year.
It’s important to understand that all tropical storms are given a category rank. This rank is between 1 and 5 with a Category 5 being the most powerful. A storm with a Category 3 rank or higher is a major hurricane and considered the most dangerous. But, no matter the size of the storm, a lot of wind will blow and rain water will fall in a short amount of time. For this reason, it is imperative to prepare before these storms arrive.
This preparedness guide and checklist is to help you protect your church property from a hurricane. There are things you can do beforehand to reduce damages from storm winds and flood waters. Every church is unique so consider this when reviewing your property before the storm. Have someone with you in evaluating potential problems because two sets of eyes are better than one.
Back Up Important Documents
Save your church’s important documents and records to a portable drive as well as on the cloud if possible. This includes your insurance policies, key employees’ contact information, and disaster emergency plan. Also, make a few copies on flash drives and give to key people on the church staff or leadership team.
Protect Church Vehicles
A church car, van, or bus is one of the most expensive assets to fix or replace. During a large storm, vehicles can easily be damaged by strong winds, flying debris, and rising waters.
DID YOU KNOW? Just one foot of standing water is enough to render some vehicles inoperable.
Follow these tips and guidelines to help protect your church vehicles in a hurricane:
- Avoid driving in a tropical storm, hurricane, or other severe weather
- Park vehicles under cover or next to a building to avoid projectile objects
- Do not park vehicles near trees, power lines, or other potential projectiles
- Move vehicles to higher ground if in an area known to flood water
Secure Outdoor Objects
Securing outside items from strong winds can help to reduce damages. Walk your church campus before the storm or hurricane approaches to identify trouble areas. Also, consider areas that may prone to flooding water due to heavy rainfall.
Church Signage
Remove any portable signs around the property altogether. For permanent church signs near the ground, secure them with plywood in the same manner as the windows.
Church Playgrounds
Most modern playground equipment is installed to be permanently stationary. But, take a look at your preschool, daycare, and church playgrounds and secure any loose parts.
Church Lighting
Repair or remove any loose light fixtures. Also, secure portable lighting such as ground landscape fixtures too. Remove any lighting all together if below normal water levels.
Securing outdoor objects is a key step in preventing damage to your church in severe weather.
Hurricane Preparedness Checklist
The checklist below will help you keep track of tasks you’ve completed on your property and ones that still need done.
Church Property Insurance
Just as homeowners insurance is important for those who own their home, property insurance is necessary for churches. But, is your church insurance policy hurricane-ready? Without wind and flood coverage your church may have to deal with the cost of hurricane damages on its own.
What’s the Exception?
Standard property insurance covers various damage to buildings, property, and equipment. However, most standard policies do not cover wind and flood damages. In highly active areas like Florida, wind and flood are the two main types of damage caused by hurricanes.
Don’t Get Blown Away
Make sure hurricane season doesn’t damage your mission. Because every church and it’s mission is unique, let an agent at Beacon review the details of your current church property insurance policy. We can also answer all your hurricane, wind, or water damage coverage questions.
Rely on Local Experience
Beacon Insurance Agency has decades of experience in specialized property insurance for churches. Our agents work with clients to determine the best options for their unique ministry. We know that insurance can be confusing so we discuss your needs and budget before finding a policy that fits you.
Watch the Video
Conclusion
We hope this hurricane preparation article helps you with protecting your church property. Hurricane season can be a very stressful time for everyone. All we can do is wait as the storms build and watch the direction they’re traveling in. And although stressful, panicking never helps. Yes, a tropical storm or hurricane can be a frightening experience. But, remember you’ve prepared, so stay calm because you’re ready.
Our greatest mission at Beacon has always been to illuminate our clients’ path to peace of mind.
We strive to empower them with the safety information they need to go out in service to the world.
Beacon Insurance Agency serves churches, schools, and nonprofit organizations. For over a decade we have built a solid reputation for providing clients with customized coverages. Insurance policies tailored to their needs as well as providing invaluable safety resources. In striving to provide the very best service, we partner with GuideOne. This allows us access to risk management guidance and custom coverage solutions.
Contact us today to have us review your existing property insurance policy.
We can also work with you to find packaged policies and plans that protect your future.
Resources
- GuideOne: A Season for Severe Weather www.guideone.com
- SafeChurch: Preparing for a Hurricane PDF
