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Building Resilience Into Your Self-Storage Business, So It Can Weather Natural Disasters
Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and hitting harder at homes and businesses. Wherever your self-storage facility is located, it could be at risk, and you must be prepared. Let’s talk about general strategies and best practices that can help you through any type of weather-fueled calamity. It just takes some due diligence, advance planning and smart investment.
Ciara Maguire
September 9, 2024
4 Min Read
Self-storage operators should always be mindful of the potential for a natural disaster to strike. We’re seeing a surge in the scale and frequency of such occurrences, with changing climate patterns behind much of this new trend. It’s important to be prepared.
With the safety of your property, staff and tenants on the line, a robust strategy that covers severe weather and other catastrophic events is an operational necessity. Fortunately, there are best practices that can help protect your business against negative effects.
Understanding the Risks
The adage, “Know your enemy,” is relevant here. The first step in setting a disaster-preparedness strategy is to understand the risks, which may be different for every self-storage facility. A property in California faces radically different perils than one in South Dakota. Depending on location, your business might be susceptible to flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes or other region-specific events. Each carries its own set of challenges and requires tailored precautionary measures.
Whatever catastrophe might hit your location, there will likely be physical damage. Buildings and their contents can suffer extensive harm from wind, water, fire or debris. Understanding the structural vulnerabilities of your facility is crucial for effective mitigation.
There may also be operational disruption and financial repercussions. Disasters can lead to prolonged business interruption, which impacts your ability to generate revenue and can affect your standing within the community. In addition, consider the long-term financial impact of a disaster including repair costs and potential increases in insurance premiums.
Understanding these risks allows self-storage operators to prioritize actions and investments to protect stored assets, customers, staff and, of course, service continuity. Assessing how different scenarios might impact your operation is essential.
Being Prepared
Knowing the risks of potential natural disasters and understanding their unpredictable nature may feel intimidating to any self-storage operator, but it allows you to design strategies to protect your business. The following steps are essential to bolstering your infrastructure and establishing a comprehensive disaster plan. Take these concrete actions to reinforce your facility’s resilience and ensure a swift, effective response in the event of an emergency.
To thoroughly understand your risks, analyze your facility location and construction as well as historical data. The climate is shifting, and traditionally predictable weather events may no longer be so. Still, information is power.
Build structures that can withstand extreme weather. Use durable materials, adhere to strict building codes, and regularly inspect and upgrade your property.
Ensure your facility is always in top condition. Routinely check structural integrity, roofing, drainage systems and other critical infrastructure. Addressing issues promptly can prevent minor problems from becoming major vulnerabilities during a disaster.
Protect critical business and customer data with robust backup systems and secure information-storage solutions. Ensure that records are easily accessible after an incident for a smooth recovery process.
Use technology to enhance your disaster preparedness. You might install advanced security systems, backup power generators and water pumps. Technology can also facilitate communication and coordination during an emergency.
Develop a clear, actionable emergency plan that details staff roles, evacuation routes, communication strategies and safety procedures. Your team should know how to act when a disaster strikes. Train them in crisis procedures and conduct drills to ensure everyone knows their role and how to respond effectively. Address evacuation procedures, first aid, communication protocols and the use of emergency equipment.
Engage with local emergency services, community organizations and other businesses to coordinate disaster-response efforts. Understanding the resources available and establishing partnerships can significantly improve response times and effectiveness.
Disaster preparedness requires a proactive approach tailored to the specific needs of your self-storage facility. Hopefully, it will never be needed, but readiness is its own form of insurance.
Review and Update
As new threats emerge and your self-storage business evolves, regularly review and update your disaster-preparedness plan. This ensures that your strategies remain effective. Also, account for any changes in infrastructure, technology or external factors.
Being ready for emergencies is an essential part of successful self-storage operation. Your contingency plan acts as an extra insurance policy should the unthinkable ever become a reality. No respectable business owner would forego adequate insurance, and disaster preparedness is no less important.
With a little due diligence and some well-planned investment, you can be ready for extreme-weather events and other worst-case scenarios, and have the peace of mind that your property, staff and customers are protected. With luck, you’ll never face an incident, but lack of preparation is a gamble that simply isn’t worth the risk.
Ciara Maguire is the marketing coordinator for Belfast Self Storage and U Store It. Both companies provide self-storage services with locations throughout Ireland. With more than 10 years of experience in various marketing roles, Ciara has developed many innovative strategies and customer-focused marketing solutions. To reach her, email [email protected].
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