Planning for disaster recovery is a must for facilities managers.
By Myrna Traylor
With the increasing number of extreme weather events occurring each year, many facilities managers (FMs) have developed a heightened respect for emergency preparedness. Equally important, however, is being sure that you and your staff can respond quickly after disaster has struck. Dealing with the aftermath often requires just as much focus and planning.
Disaster recovery is not just about cleaning up the mess; it's about restoring normalcy, ensuring safety and maintaining compliance with regulations. All of this depends on effective communication. Melissa Marria, Manager, Facilities and Property Management for Ulta Beauty, described the array of touchpoints you’d engage, starting with taking care of staff at affected locations. “We want to address the facility as quickly as possible, but first and foremost, we are focused on our team's health and safety. Make sure that you have discussed recovery plans with leadership and, depending on the timeline of repairs, understand what support the business can provide in a situation in which the facility is closed for an extended period of time,” she said.
Depending on the breadth of the disaster event (one store affected versus multiple locations), coordinating with district managers or other administrative teams, such as payroll or IT, might be necessary. You might also need to coordinate with distribution managers to ensure that any incoming inventory is appropriately secured; be sure anything requiring refrigeration can be kept at the proper temperature until you can adequately receive it.
Build a Team in Advance
Your recovery plan should include the specialists you can call to get everything back to normal. Firms like 911 Restoration, a recovery specialist company that does business across the U.S. as well as in Canada, can do the hands-on repair work and facilitate conversations with insurance brokers and claims adjusters. Ken Sussex, Executive Director of Franchise Development at 911 Restoration, said they work with third-party administrators to keep the communication between their client FMs and insurance carriers flowing swiftly and smoothly.
Sussex said that the FM should build a recovery response team that includes your attorney, risk manager, insurance broker, adjusters, and perhaps even an outside consultant who can help negotiate the claim particulars — as well as the restoration specialist.
“We can help create a checklist, including things like temporary facilities, temporary power, offsite refrigerated storage and even IT concerns,” Sussex said. “We even work with clients on their internal and external communications plans; for example, how to address news media.”
FMs and their leadership should negotiate pricing with a recovery firm well in advance of any disaster. And on the topic of money, having a recovery fund that can be tapped before claims monies are available makes good sense. FMs who have historical data for previous disasters can use that as a basis for building their war chest.
The Nuts and Bolts and Drywall and Power…
A good restoration specialist will develop a recovery plan suited to the damage incurred by the facility. Removing water, boarding up broken windows and restoring power are high-priority tasks after a flood or hurricane. Dealing with a fire will mean assessing and treating smoke damage and structural problems. “Be prepared to put a fire watch in place,” Marria said, if your building’s alarm system isn’t functioning.
Depending on the contract, an FM may opt for turnkey services — making the restoration company responsible for all repairs, from structure to systems to cosmetics. Or you may divide up certain tasks — some to the restoration company and some to your preferred suppliers.
Along the way, an FM or the restoration company will have to work with the appropriate civil authorities (authority having jurisdiction, or AHJ) to be cleared for re-opening. Again, depending on the extent of damage and the number of affected systems, the AHJ is “going to have strict requirements, such as furnishing proof of work completed or a final inspection. And that can not only be time-consuming but also could require several trades working in concert with one another to be compliant,” Marria said.
Getting back to normal is a big task but it can be done, Sussex said. “Building a team in advance is critical. It’s difficult to make a good recovery work on the fly.”
Dos and Don’ts
A well-thought-out post-disaster plan can significantly reduce downtime, financial loss and operational disruptions. This high-level checklist can help you organize your plans:
[ ] Build a team in advance with assigned roles.
[ ] Pre-arrange contracts with preferred contractors and restoration specialists.
[ ] Develop a standardized process document outlining the order of operations for disaster response (triage).
[ ] Create a preliminary inspection report template for damage assessment.
[ ] Contact landlords proactively to discuss disaster response plans for multi-tenant buildings.
[ ] Allocate a budget specifically for disaster recovery.
[ ] Ensure comprehensive insurance coverage.
[ ] Adapt recovery steps based on the type of disaster.
[ ] Check for hidden structural damage.
[ ] Provide clear communication and level-set expectations to impacted teams.
[ ] Ensure critical data backup and recovery.
On the flip side, neglecting post-disaster preparation can lead to:
Prolonged operational downtime
Increased repair and restoration costs
Safety hazards for employees and customers
Legal and regulatory penalties
Strained relationships with stakeholders
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