How to Be a Weather-Ready Property

Here's the bottom line.

Hurricane season starts June 1^st in the United States, and Summer officially begins the end of June, which means heavy wind and rain is likely.

It also means you must be proactive.

You must be weather-ready.

We’re here to help!

Are you ready?

Let's do it.

It's time to batten down the hatches.

How to Become StormReady®

The National Weather Service (NWS) StormReady® Program was created to develop weather-ready communities throughout the United States.

According to NWS, “The StormReady program helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property--before, during and after the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.”

“StormReady communities, counties, Indian nations, universities and colleges, military bases, government sites, commercial enterprises and other groups are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives,” explains the NWS StormReady® website here.

According to the NWS, the program uses a “grassroots approach” to helping communities proactively manage severe weather situations.

There are five essential items you need in place to officially become StormReady®:

1. Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
2. Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
3. Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
4. Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
5. Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

Go here to start the steps today to become StormReady®.

Weather Strategy Ideas You Can Use

Not quite weather-ready yet?

Need some ideas on what you can do to be proactive?

Don’t sweat it – we’ve got you covered.

Whether you have guidelines in place already, are looking for a benchmark to get started, or plan to become StormReady®, we all must anticipate Mother Nature’s fury.

Below are a few weather strategy ideas you could use to ensure your property is handling severe weather better than yesterday.

Daily Policy

1. Upon determining that weather conditions will threaten the safety of customers and staff, your Operations Center will contact you and other need-to-know personnel to advise accordingly.
2. The Operations Center will inform the police department and security to prepare to assist customers to move to shelter or to evacuate.

Move to Shelter

1. A public announcement will inform the customers of the threatening situation and their option to leave the property.
2. Customers will be advised of safe areas to seek shelter on the property should such areas be available.

Evacuation Order

A public service announcement (PSA) will notify customers that a report of impending weather problems requires the property to postpone operations.

1. Upon notice of evacuation, all appointed staff shall go to their assigned evacuation posts.
2. All other staff shall exit the property to a location and assemble for headcount.

Relocate Personnel

1. Proceed to assigned locations as if the property were about to close, and open the doors. If an exit key is not available, one can be obtained from a supervisor.
2. Ensure that all exits are open.
3. Direct customers out of the property and make sure that customers do not re-enter the property.

Concourse/Hallway Personnel

1. Position themselves near each exit if the property were about to close, and assist in directing customers out of the property to the closest exit as quickly and efficiently as possible.
2. Upon being relieved, reassemble with the supervisor at a location for headcount. Attendance will be taken.

Personnel at Escalators & Elevators

1. Position themselves at each exit to the escalators and elevators as if the property were about to close, and assist in directing customers out of the property as quickly and efficiently as possible.
2. Calmly advise exiting customers that the elevators and escalators will not be working during an evacuation. The stairs must be used.

Office Personnel

1. Direct customers out of their office area toward the nearest exit as quickly and efficiently as possible.
2. Assist the physically challenged.
3. Advise any physically challenged in your area that in the case of an evacuation, the elevators and escalators will not be in service.

Parking Operations

1. Parking operations should prepare to open all exit gates as if the property is closing.
2. Parking operations should stand by for directives from the Operations Center concerning blocking off the gate(s) and sections of the property perimeter road for use by emergency vehicles.
3. Upon all vehicles leaving the property, parking operations will reassemble with supervisors for headcount.

The Weather Passes

Now let’s say the weather passes your property.

Wet patches will most likely remain, right? This scenario means incidents such as wet spills can occur. These can quickly escalate to major medical issues from a slip & fall.

Here are a couple things you can have in place to achieve Proactive Operations when the weather passes.

1. You need to trust that your team handles the aftermath appropriately. Train them well to keep your customers and themselves safe.
2. Implement a real-time communications platform inclusive of an incident management system and associated mobile incident reporting technology.

We can help you put each of these in place.

But, you’ve got to act fast – June 1^st is only a few days away.

Give us a call so we can help you get weather-ready before the rain picks up.

Over to You

Are you prepared for this Summer and the possible weather conditions it brings along? We want you to be proactive, whether that means becoming StormReady® or customizing some of the weather strategy ideas we provide in this article.

Either way, it’s critical for you to take the safety of your customers and staff seriously. Use the information we shared to augment your operation – and be a weather-ready property – from this day forward.

So, are you ready?

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and freshness.