The Met Office confirmed the UK’s new record-high temperature of 40.3°C in July 2022[1]. The dry and sunny months have affected the ground immensely. Drought conditions, followed by torrential rain and thunderstorms, have exacerbated the impact of run-off and flash flooding, particularly the risk to people, businesses, and properties. Extreme weather patterns like these are becoming the norm as the influence of global warming becomes apparent thus, raising concerns about the severity of the seasons ahead.
Such a phenomenon is an inevitable reality in the coming years. Businesses must develop or evaluate a robust business continuity plan and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves, their employees, and their assets to safeguard the long-term viability of their company. To attain this, firms should consider CCC: coordinate, contact, and communicate in the event of an incident.
Consider CCC: Coordinate, Contact, Communicate
Coordinate
Extreme weather conditions can bring about unpredictability and unexpected impacts on your business. Being aware of the numerous scenarios and having plans in place increases your resilience and can help you recover more swiftly from the impacts. Businesses that have successfully recovered from disasters have:
- Assessed the likely impact of significant events on their business
- Planned their response in advance
- Tested the effectiveness of their plan and revised it where needed
- Invested time, thought, and where necessary, money, to manage risk
Our experts have provided guidance on matters to consider for the extreme weather conditions:
Extreme Weather Property Checklist: use our property checklist here to help you prepare your premises for a forecasted storm or extreme weather.
How to create a flood plan : read our guidance on how to create a flood plan to help your business respond to a flood quickly.
Things to also keep in mind:
- Plan provisional working arrangements
Organise facilities in case of flooding, such as alternative office accommodation in other branches, or even consider whether spaces can be shared with other firms. Arrange for all incoming calls from your office to be diverted; ensuring that someone is on hand to take the calls with a clear script to keep staff and clients calm and sufficiently informed.
Remote working for your employees would be the safest and best option, especially when transport systems are compromised. Check that remote-working facilities and IT functions (off-site server backup, cloud systems) can operate with the influx of users.
- Be mindful of your responsibilities under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
If any staff are involved in assisting with any clean-up, ensure they are provided with the relevant PPE, and this is recorded. Sandbags and any debris affected by flood water must be treated as contaminated and should not be handled directly. Finally, be cautious of sharp objects that could be floating below the surface of any remaining water.
It is vital to ensure that items in your risk management plans are actionable and that the responsibilities are allocated and known to senior management and key members of staff. Taking a holistic approach is key and investing in risk management experts like our partners at BCARM can help you develop a bespoke system for your business.
To read more about BCARM click here.
Contact
It is critical to contact key stakeholders (clients, suppliers, and partners) to inform them of the situation and manage expectations.
- Contact your insurance broker
Get in touch with your insurance broker as soon as possible after an extreme weather event to let them know you will need to make a claim on your insurance policy. Early intervention can reduce expenses, prevent further harm, and hasten the business's return to normal operations. As each business is unique and faces several challenges, it is therefore recommended to work closely with a specialist broker to ensure you have the appropriate cover and risk management measures in place. Remember to collect evidence for claims purposes such as photographs of the damages, copies of any receipts and purchases. - Contact your client and suppliers
Arrange for all clients to be contacted, prioritising those with urgent live matters first. Clients should be informed about the situation to assure them how it is being managed and how they can contact the company.
Similarly, the similar provisions should be conducted for suppliers. Work alongside them to manage expectations and create a plan to delay, redirect, or cancel any deliveries.
Communicate
- Communicate with your staff
Communicating with your staff is your utmost priority - ensuring that they are okay. Any template script released should include information about the situation, the provisions in place, and the company expectations of their employees.
- Communicate with the public
Designate a point of contact for the press and instruct all staff to refer any questions to the individual to guarantee that the information conveyed to external stakeholders and the public are consistent. Provide a press statement and consider using a PR agency to assist in the process.
We are here to help
The information above should help navigate you through extreme weather incidents however it is always recommended to contact a professional for advice and specialised guidance.
In the event of a claim, your insurance broker will be able to provide you with all the relevant guidance to get your business up and running following any interruption.
Our team work closely with our clients all year and where requested, we can undertake site visits to help identify and mitigate risks. We partnered with trusted third parties who provide our clients with exclusive offerings with a range of unique benefits to help with the day-to-day running of your business.
Get in touch for more advice from our specialists or give us a call on 020 7977 4800.
