Changing weather conditions | IgorZh
With increasing climate uncertainty in the U.S., your greenhouse faces growing risks from severe weather events. From devastating hailstorms to high winds, the impact of these disasters can be catastrophic to your business and livelihood if you’re unprepared.
A detailed weather preparedness plan is a great first step to help mitigate losses from severe weather. However, a key element of your plan, which may go overlooked, is building local partnerships. By establishing relationships with local organizations, you help prepare support for your greenhouse before it needs it most — helping you bounce back quicker after a disaster.
An Increase of Severe Weather Events
Experts say climate change is the main driver behind the increasing frequency of these costly storms, but rising property values and inflation are pushing the financial impact even higher. It’s striking — over the past 12 years, the number of billion-dollar weather events has nearly doubled, with a record-breaking 28 events in the last year alone.
In the last 18 months, severe storms have caused more than $100 billion in losses in the U.S. The regions where these disasters typically occur are shifting, meaning greenhouses that weren’t affected as much in the past are now experiencing more instances of severe weather. That’s why it’s so important to start preparing for these events now.
Establishing Partnerships for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
Strong local partnerships play a crucial role in effective weather disaster management. Local organizations can provide essential resources, timely information, and support during and after severe weather. Here are several key partners to consider collaborating with:
- Emergency services
- Get to know your local police, firefighters, and EMTs. Share your emergency plan with them, discuss safety strategies, and develop a response plan for your business.
- Make sure the fire department is familiar with the type, approximate quantities, and locations of pesticides, fertilizers, and other hazardous chemicals that may be present at your facility.
- Participate in community disaster drills to enhance your plan and understand how an emergency response might unfold.
- Utility providers
- Identify your power, water, and gas companies.
- Familiarize yourself with their emergency protocols to understand when they will restore services.
- Consider having backup power such as generators for possible extended outages.
- Neighboring businesses
- Coordinate disaster response efforts with neighboring businesses to identify potential gaps.
- Develop mutual recovery plans to support each other after a crisis.
- Collaborate to share resources, parts, or equipment following an incident.
- Local contractors and suppliers
- Strengthen your existing relationships with local contractors and suppliers to reduce the risk of material shortages following weather events.
- Explore how they can provide expedited service as part of your recovery efforts.
- Industry associations
- Join groups that focus on disaster preparedness and safety for businesses.
- Share past experiences or resources that may be helpful if disaster strikes.
In addition to your own local partnerships, your insurer may have a network of resources to help you with damage to your business.
For example, our safety services and claims teams collaborate with experienced industry partners to assist our customers with recovery efforts. These partners help supply the specialized tools, materials, and expertise needed to repair or rebuild greenhouses quickly after an unexpected weather event. Check with your insurance provider to see if they offer similar services.
Creating a Weather Disaster Response Plan
To create an effective and sustainable response plan, involve employees from all areas of your organization, including supervisors and representatives from every shift and role.
Together, develop a step-by-step plan for managing pre- and post-storm damage control. Assign specific tasks to individuals and make sure everyone understands their responsibilities.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides a good starting point. However, it’s important to tailor your plan to fit your business and its unique operations.
Knowing Your Weather Risks
Begin by identifying the specific threats your business might face. Ask yourself:
- What weather hazards could happen in our area?
- Where is my property most vulnerable? Take a good look at your buildings, equipment, chemical storage, and surroundings. Identify weak spots that need attention.
- How could severe weather impact our operations, supply chain, or employees?
Answers to these questions can help you focus on key areas in preparation and planning.
Securing Your Property
As part of your severe weather business plan, outline how you’ll fortify your physical assets. Conduct a safety audit to guide this process. Additional recommendations include:
- Construct your greenhouse according to local building codes.
- Check your connections and structural members and remember to secure loose components.
- Make sure glazing is properly installed and keep additional inventory on hand for emergency covering.
- Monitor your double poly (polyethylene) cladding. Prior to severe weather, ensure the inflator motors are keeping the poly properly inflated. If the poly isn’t tight enough, high winds and hail may cause stress on the structure, resulting in dimples, pooling, small holes, and premature aging.
- Create proper drainage channels so water has a safe path to flow.
- Secure loose items like equipment, chairs, and pots before a storm to prevent them from becoming dangerous debris.
Reviewing Your Insurance Coverage
A comprehensive weather recovery plan requires both preparedness and protection. The steps above are meant to help keep your business, employees, and customers safe. When it comes to repairs and recovery, you’ll also need adequate insurance.
Take the time to have a conversation and review your policy with your insurer. When reviewing your current policy, consider the types and amount of coverage you need:
- Weather-related risks: Ensure your coverage protects against the specific risks in your area. For example, most businesses in our industry have commercial property coverage, but they may need separate flood coverage through the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) due to the specialized nature of the risk.
- Business interruption insurance: If operations are halted after weather damage, business interruption insurance helps cover income loss and additional expenses resulting from a covered claim.
- Changes in your business: Update your amount of coverage to reflect any changes in your business — like added property or equipment — since your last renewal.
