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5 things your emergency response plan needs to keep you afloat during flooding

There has been a pattern of recurring, record-breaking floods that have pulled too many smaller restaurants under when they weren't financially able to recover. Are you prepared?

June 25, 2019

By Justin Reese, VP and senior risk consultant, Hub International

If your restaurant doesn't have a disaster preparedness plan with specific contingencies for dealing with floods, there's no time like the present.

This year has progressed swimmingly, you might say, as two-thirds of the country faced historic flooding before summer even arrived, and who knows what the upcoming hurricane season will bring? There has been a pattern of recurring, record-breaking floods that have pulled too many smaller restaurants under when they weren't financially able to recover.

A flood emergency response plan can help even the smallest of restaurants be better prepared to manage the risk, starting with what they are, how serious are the risks, how you intend to keep guests and staff safe, and how to ensure an effective recovery.

To develop your plan, think about five key areas of concern and work around them:

1. How serious are your risks today and in the future? Identifying them gives you a leg up on your planning. The better you can anticipate the risk, the better off you'll be. Keep the following in mind:

• If your restaurant is located on a coastline or waterway, for example, you already know you could be flooded in the event of a long thaw, heavy rains or a series of hurricanes.
• Don't be confident you're necessarily out of the line of fire, though, if your location isn't in an obvious danger zone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a flood hazard map that's worth checking.
• If your organization is on a growth trajectory, new locations under consideration for future restaurants should be evaluated for the extent of any flooding risk.

• When building in flood zones, fail-safes include installing electrical and mechanical equipment above grade level. It is also important to pitch drains and utilize sump pumps.

• 2. Understand and incorporate all the critical components of an effective FERP. It outlines responsibilities for particular functions, as well as the procedures and practices to be followed, so everyone who may be displaced is kept safe during the emergency situation.
• Appoint a FERP coordinator from an individual on your management staff. This person is responsible for initiating the plan and directing resources during all stages of an emergency.
• Also identify other necessary team members and their assignments. Make sure they are aware of those responsibilities and will be up to performing them. 
• Put effective communications approaches in place. These should be geared to FERP team members, to put them on standby for flood preparation activities. Also be ready to alert staff and patrons about changing storm and flood conditions that may affect their safety, and recommend precautions to take.
• Create procedures and processes for relocating patrons, safely shutting down equipment, securing front and back of the house equipment and other projected issues and needs. 

3. Have your team on standby as situations are developing, taking precautions on a just-in-case basis so that everyone emerges safely and physical damages are mitigated as much as possible.

• Your FERP coordinator should closely monitor storms and activate the plan if necessary.
• Keep your main front- and back-of-house staff in the loop to bring in as necessary.
• Have the necessary materials and supplies pulled together.
• Fuel tanks should be filled and emergency generators, vehicles and pumps ready to go so food storage and freezer needs can be maintained as necessary.
• Detailed records of all decisions are a must.

4. If and when a flood occurs, safety is your top priority. Your responsibility is to protect any guests, staff and locals who might seek shelter in your building as the weather changes.

• Keep everyone inside during hazardous conditions that can accompany the flooding, like heavy rain and lightning. Falling trees and flying debris can be as hazardous as rising, rushing floodwaters.
• Establish shelter locations in your building that are internal, above grade level and without windows.
• Evacuation orders by authorities must be followed immediately.
• Do not allow anyone to move or service wet electrical equipment.

5. Once the crisis has passed and the property is safe, your FERP recovery team can get to work on the recovery stage – assessing damage and starting the salvage that might be required.  

• Staff needs to be notified of the recovery activities and their work status, and that includes any shift personnel who have been off-duty, as well.
•  Hazards such as down power lines should be checked for and reported to utility companies.
• If you intend to use vendors for any necessary cleanup and salvage, make sure they have been approved by your insurance carrier.
• Perishable foodstuffs must be reviewed and documented for contamination and spoilage before removal.

There's always something to challenge restaurateurs, and certainly, weather conditions we've experienced in recent years have kept you on your toes. When you put some rigor into your emergency planning, you'll be better able to deal with the surprises Mother Nature has for you.