Risks Of Flood Damage To Commercial Properties
Protecting your investment from potential business hiccups, unprecedented changes or pivoting direction can be difficult. But, it’s crucial to protect your investment from the potential physical impacts that are even harder to predict.
Commercial flood damage to properties is fairly common and flood risk can pause all business activities, hurting incomes and causing issues that have a knock-on effect down the line. Being prepared ahead of time with flood damage prevention methods is the best way to get ahead of mother nature, and pre-empt a potential flood on your commercial property.
Reducing the risk of flood damage to your commercial property may seem like a mammoth task on top of the usual business proceedings, but it is a worthwhile investment of your time. Rainbow International has broken down the key facts with some quick and easy steps for you to follow, so you can relax knowing you’ve prepared, including:
- What are the possible risks of flood damage to commercial properties?
– Structural failure
– Mould
– Leaks - How to prevent flood damage to your commercial property
– Be aware of your flood risk
– Assess your property
– Write a flood plan
– Pay special attention to basements
– Add flood-proofing
– Cleaning gutters
– Improve landscaping
– Getting your HVAC system checked - How Rainbow International can help
Find all of the expert tips below for reducing the risk of flood damage to your commercial property.
What Are The Possible Risks Of Flood Damage To Commercial Properties?
Any building that is affected by a flood can be damaged by the sudden intake of water. However, due to the value that commercial properties hold for businesses operating outside of them, the financial risk is usually much higher due to business interruption. As a result, it’s key you’re aware of the risks that come with flood damage to commercial properties.
Structural failure
Crucially, the structural integrity of a building can be severely impacted by commercial flood damage.
This impact is incredibly high risk and can lead business premises to be hazardous to human health. If a flood damages a commercial property to the point of it being deemed unsafe, landlords and insurance companies are faced with difficult and costly decisions that can even lead to excavation and foundation restoration work to be done.
Mould
With any water damage, mould is an immediate risk that follows the drying process. Any water that is trapped in any kind of material can lead to mould that if left, will go on to infect and contaminate an entire building.
This then opens up the business to further issues, such as respiratory or nose and throat concerns. Mould has been proven to cause congestion, coughing, rashes and eye irritation, so avoiding mould contamination is vital.
Rainbow International has perfected the service needed to remove mould entirely from any type of property, ensuring that there is no chance of contamination and further spreading of mould spores. If you suspect you have mould in your commercial property, get in touch as soon as possible to protect your health and the building.
Leaks
Any commercial flood damage can lead to leaks throughout the property. Leaks can then go on to create lasting damage across the business, sometimes without detection. Avoid mould damage developing with Rainbow International’s team and damp and mould remediation.
Without the experts on hand to detect the leak, furniture, electrical appliances or systems, files and stock can all be damaged by water leaving them unusable and in need of costly replacements. It can also continue to further any structural damage, causing tiles to come loose, wallpaper to peel and wooden floors to warp and cup.
Commercial Property Flood Prevention Tips
These impacts can halt a business in its tracks and leave profits and outlooks to plummet. Follow Rainbow International’s expert top tips in preventing flood damage on your commercial property.
1. Be aware of your flood risk
It’s difficult to prepare for something if you aren’t fully clued in about what to expect, so finding out how at risk your commercial property is of flood damage is a good place to start.
You can check with your local authority as to what risk you may be at for flooding, and begin taking steps to detail a flood plan. You should also sign up to flood warnings so you can be kept in the loop in the event of an incoming storm or potential flood from heavy rainfall. If you are near a body of water such as a river or a lake, you can also find out from your local council if you are at long-term risk of flooding.
Regardless of what property type you own, if you know you’re in an area that is prone to flooding, you should consider the following:
- Moving essential documents and equipment up to higher levels
- Invest in protection methods such as flood barriers
- Upgrade your property with flood-resistant elements
- Raise white goods from the floor onto plinths to avoid damage
- Have a backup of key files that you may need
2. Assess your property
Know where you stand with your property. We highly recommend carrying out a full assessment of your commercial property to identify any key areas of weakness that could lead to flood water finding its way into the building.
These are often found in tiled areas, terraces, drain pipes and roofs, specifically flat roofs. Once you’ve assessed your property, make a note of any improvements that need to be made and ensure they’re prioritised accordingly.
3. Write a flood plan
In the event of a flood, having a plan can make a huge difference and leave you in a much more desirable position. Flood damage prevention plans can mean no flood water gets into the property, but you should be prepared for every eventuality.
Your flood plan should be easily obtainable in the event of a flood and include key contact information for your local council, helplines and your utility providers. You should also include the locations for utility cut-off points and a step-by-step breakdown for evacuation and protecting business equipment and stock.
Your flood plan should also include a business continuity plan, giving you methods and steps to follow to ensure your business can continue operating at a level that will keep things above board.
4. Pay special attention to basements
It’s incredibly important that when reducing the risk of flood damage to your commercial property you take care to thoroughly check your basements. Basements often contain pipes that if left to leak, will cause damage to surfaces and leave cracks in bricks and tiles. In underground car parks, this can also damage vehicles and be a risk to safety.
If you’re concerned about your basement, you can waterproof it by installing drainage systems with an expert. You should also consider having an expert waterproofing the building’s basement from the ground up.
5. Add flood-proofing
Water that has made its way into your building before, will find its way in again. Floodproofing is a great way of managing flood damage prevention and reducing the commercial flood damage found in your building.
It involves adding further protection to your building by taking steps to add a waterproof coating over the exterior of the building and plugging any gaps or holes to an expert standard.
6. Cleaning gutters
Gutters are there to help draw water away from your property and to the appropriate vessels.
If your gutters and pipes are blocked with debris such as leaves or rubbish, you run the risk of water quickly spilling over onto the property instead of being removed. Ensure your gutters and drain are clear and functioning properly and avoid leaks and damage, improving your flood damage prevention.
7. Improve landscaping
Despite not being able to can’t pick up your commercial property and put it in a lower flood risk area, you can still make changes to the nearby landscaping to improve flood damage prevention and draw the water away from your building.
Having your landscaping enable water to run down and away from the foundations will help you in the event of a flood, and having any drains from the roof and other levels of the building will boost the effects of these.
8. Getting your HVAC system checked
Your heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system in your building is a vital piece of equipment that should be protected as a priority from any potential commercial flood damage in the event of a flood.
Thoroughly assess the health of the HVAC system, make plans to elevate it out of the way of the ground and identify any components that may need waterproofing. This will help prevent power outages or electrical surges and keep your repair costs down if the flood damage becomes extensive elsewhere.
How Rainbow International Can Help
The team of passionate experts at Rainbow International know how valuable your commercial property is to you and how vital it is to your business’ success. That’s why they have perfected the handling of flood-prone properties and have a keen eye on how to spot flood damage prevention opportunities. Their decades of experience in helping commercial property owners manage their flood plans and prevention methods makes Rainbow International the perfect choice for any landlord, business or owner looking to protect a building that’s at high flood risk.
Skip the stress and avoid losing cash on restoration by preparing properly for a flood, and in the event of a flood, opt for Rainbow International for a straightforward and professional solution.
Get In Touch With Rainbow International Now!
Now you know how to prevent flood damage on your commercial property, you can be better prepared and see less damage caused to your business. Remember to thoroughly assess your property, elevate essential files and appliances, landscape with floods in mind and prioritise your HVAC system. If things do go wrong, don’t panic, our team of experts are on hand.
Water damage repairs and flood damage restoration should be handled by specialists who have a proven track record of getting the job done properly, so get in touch now.