Summer is finally here, and even though the sun is shining, there’s always the potential for severe weather this time of year. Heavy rain, damaging winds, and hail are all common issues during the warmer months, and they can wreak havoc on your commercial property. And while nobody wants to see their property come to any harm, sometimes mother nature has other ideas. Here are a few tips on how you can deal with storm damage this summer.
Post-Storm Best Practices:
- Be careful! Damaged, uprooted, or weakened trees can be dangerous, even if they’re on the ground. If limbs are bent or trapped under other debris, avoid the area and contact a professional arborist immediately. The tension in these limbs can have a tremendous amount of potential energy, and if that tension breaks, it could cause serious injury or further property damage.
- Ensure accessibility. Walk the property to make sure entrances, exits, and other points of access aren’t blocked or damaged, preventing employees and guests from moving through your property safely. If there’s standing water, it should be pumped out or drained as soon as possible.
- Tidy up. Stormwater can push mulch into turf areas, while leaves, twigs, and other debris can get blown around, and a myriad of other things can happen during a storm that should be cleaned up relatively quickly. This can also help you get a feel for the overall state of the property, while you start the cleanup process.
- Look for areas of improvement. Standing water, weakened trees, or other problems that arise after a storm could be symptoms of deeper issues that could cause bigger headaches down the road. Look for low spots that collect stormwater, drainage systems that aren’t working properly, or other signs that your property needs attention while they’re top of mind.
- Start Planning. This may sound grim, but as you go through the process of cleaning up after a storm, it’s a good time to make a plan for the next one. Similar to the step above, make notes of which things need addressed first, identify high-risk trees and plants, and which industry partners you can count on to help when you need it most. That way you’ll have these key contacts at your fingertips and have a game plan in place and you can get started even quicker.
It's tough to think about inclement weather while the sky is blue, but keeping these things in mind can help you get your property back into shape and safe for guests, customers, and employees after a storm hits. It’s also never too late to start thinking about a plan or having your tree care and landscape provider conduct a property assessment. Their professional expertise can potentially identify a risk before an incident or storm and help protect you from liability.
