Plumb Safety: Preparing Your Clients for An Unpredictable Hurricane Season

Preparing Your Clients for an Unpredictable Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is quickly approaching, and recent forecasters don’t seem quite sure what to expect.

According to the Weather Company, there are two main factors impacting predictions. For one, El Nino is likely forming which could indicate a milder hurricane season. Conversely, the Atlantic Ocean is warmer than usual, which could signal an active hurricane season. Currently, the Weather Company is forecasting fifteen named storms, seven of which will become hurricanes and three of those are predicted to reach Category 3 or higher.

In any case, one heavy storm is enough to gravely impact a lumber business, destroy property and cause financial damage. Just look to the record losses in the 2022 hurricane season, which took the powerful punch of Hurricane Ian and resulted in overall losses of $110 billion. With the threat of losses like those, brokers should be encouraging hurricane preparation and equipping clients with loss control strategies and adequate insurance coverage to weather the storm.

Brokers who want to go the extra mile for their clients in the lumber space, should recommend the following best practices ahead of hurricane season:

• Assess risks & address them: Business owners need to fully understand their risk exposures and how they can be exacerbated by a weather incident. As hurricane season approaches, producers should encourage their clients to conduct a risk assessment of their properties including checking for roof damage or structural issues and clearing any unnecessary outdoor equipment and free-standing structures. This may be a good time for business owners to consider investing in a generator as power outages are a significant risk during a tropical storm or hurricane.

• Plan & train: After a risk assessment is done, producers should work with their clients to create a plan that outlines specific roles and tasks for employees in the event of a storm. Employees should be trained on their emergency roles as well as regular tasks to maintain the businesses hurricane defenses. Tasks might include tree upkeep, generator maintenance and more.

• Secure adequate insurance: Lumber business owners do not want to wait until a major storm loss to find out their insurance coverage is not going to cover it. Consider contacting them to evaluate their insurance portfolios to ensure they are insured to value and covered for property loss, business interruption and more.

Hurricane predictions can be helpful in terms of preparations, but regardless of what the forecast calls for business owners need to expect the unexpected. With hurricane season right around the corner, brokers can leverage their expertise to fully prepare their clients in the lumber space for whatever the 2023 hurricane season brings. For additional preparation tips and tools, consider sharing PLM’s loss control guides with your clients.