Disasters happen. Even if you have a state-of-the-art self-storage facility and consider yourself a cautious operator, you can never be too prepared. Natural occurrences and unintentional human acts can damage buildings and tenants’ stored property. It’s critical to be proactive and create an emergency plan that’s easy to follow. If a crisis hits, you’ll be glad you took the time to prepare, as will staff and customers.

An Ounce of Prevention

There are many types of incidents over which we have absolutely no control, such as hurricanes, tornados, tropical storms, flooding and earthquakes. The list goes on. But natural disasters aren’t the only things that can wreak havoc at your self-storage property, causing damage and disrupting business. Even when you have proper precautions in place, the following can still occur; however, the right kind of prevention can minimize the damage when they do.

Preparing for the Unexpected

Despite your best prevention efforts, unexpected events will occur, so you need to create an emergency plan for your self-storage facility and its employees. There’s often little to no warning when disaster strikes, so having a plan ready helps relieve stress and minimize damage. It could save lives and your business. Consider the following when organizing and implementing your strategy:

Communication Is Key

When one of these unfortunate events occurs at your facility, it’s vital to communicate with tenants as quickly as possible. After making initial contact about the incident, keep them updated about the state of the property. Sending a mass email is a quick, efficient way to alert customers. Posting to social media and updating the facility website are also great ways to spread the word.

When contacting tenants or posting notices, provide as much information as possible. This will help answer questions and reduce phone inquiries. Include when and how they can safely pick up their property. Though customers may be upset and want to retrieve their belongings right away, it’s imperative to ensure the site is safe first.

Goods Protection Helps

If your customers have purchased tenant insurance or a tenant-protection plan (hopefully, the have), recommend that they reach out to their company or administrator for information on how to file a claim. This kind of coverage provides self-storage operators and renters piece of mind in times of disaster. You don’t want to find yourself dealing with angry tenants demanding reimbursement for damaged goods. Instead of pointing to the lease clause that protects you from liability, you can simply instruct them to file a claim.

This is a surefire way to relieve tenant stress, as it’ll help them better cope with any losses. If you don’t have a program in place, there are several options in the self-storage industry. They are all different, though, so do your research and ask providers questions about which coverage options are best for your business.

Self-storage owners also have specific needs when it comes to protecting their facilities, too. Review your business-insurance policy to determine if it’s providing all the coverage you need. If you don’t have commercial property and general liability coverage, consider it. Upgrading your policy will provide better coverage in case of an unfortunate event.

Planning Is Important

While there’s no way to fully prepare for a catastrophic event, working to be as ready as possible is what matters most. Create an emergency plan, make sure employees are trained, openly communicate with tenants, and secure the right protections for your business and customers. By following these steps, you’ll be as equipped as possible when unexpected occurs.

Rachel Schest is a tenant-protection specialist at Easy Storage Solutions, a provider of Web-based management software for small- to mid-sized self-storage operations. She has more than five years of client-relations and marketing experience. She graduated from Indiana University Northwest where she earned a bachelor’s degree in applied science. For more information, call 888.958.5967; visit www.easystoragesolutions.com.