According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season will be another active season. This season will likely see between 13 and 20 named storms, of which six to 10 could become hurricanes, with winds of 74 mph (119 km/h) or higher. NOAA predicts we could see three to five major hurricanes with a category 3, 4, or 5, which have winds of 111 mph (178 km/h) or higher.1 While this season may not surpass the number of storms we saw in 2020, preparing for the worst will allow you to be fully prepared.
One of the principles of risk management is the concept of the three pillars: risk identification, risk control, and risk financing. In this article, we’ll look at how the three pillars of risk management apply to hurricane preparedness.Risk Identification
The first pillar of risk management is identifying the risks or hazards associated with a hurricane. Some of these risks include damage to the property due to strong winds and/or flooding. For example, a broken window can cause wind or water to enter the church building.The safety officer should check drains, gutters, and downspouts to ensure they are clear and able to drain off any heavy rain. If there are clogged roof drains, water could accumulate and cause the roof to collapse or even cause damage to the interior of the building.
Inspect any trees on your property for limbs that are at risk of breaking off in the heavy winds. Likewise, identify any loose or unsecured items in the church yard. These objects can become projectiles during a storm and can cause damage to your facility or, worse, to people.
Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (ARM) has a self-inspection form that will help the safety officer identify interior and exterior risks of the building. You can also check out our hurricane safety kit, which discusses more risks associated with hurricanes and tropical storms.
Risk Control
After the risk-identification stage has taken place, the second pillar is to control the risks that have been identified. Protecting the doors and windows of your facility is one of the best ways to protect the interior of your building. This can be done by investing in permanent storm shutters, which can help prevent broken windows that lead to wind and water damage. If you are unable to install storm shutters, there is always the option to use marine plywood. Make sure the plywood is securely attached to the windows.If for some reason installing storm shutters or plywood is not possible, hurricane fabric can be installed on the windows. Hurricane fabric is a bouncy fabric that you stretch over your windows to deflect flying storm debris. While this deflective barrier is a popular alternative to plywood since it is easier to install and remove, it does not provide maximum protection like storm shutters and plywood do.
Flooding and water damage are often issues after a storm, particularly if the building already has damage to the roof, windows, or doors. These points of weaknesses allow water to saturate your church building and cause significant damage to the interior. Additionally, floodwater can carry toxins or contaminants, which can be harmful. It is essential to stay out of any standing floodwater whenever possible. To minimize the damage that floodwater can cause, place sandbags around first-floor doorways. Sandbags will not stop the water completely, but they can reduce the amount of water entering your property.
Risk Financing
The last pillar is risk financing, or sharing the expense of storm damage through the purchase of insurance. Adventist Risk Management, Inc. comes in during this step to provide coverage when these storms occur. This step allows the conference to be able to transfer to ARM the catastrophic risk, which can be costly to the conference. Keep in mind that before transferring a risk, it becomes crucial for the insured to implement a risk-identification and risk-control program.It is also essential to keep in mind that insurance policies may have special limits, exclusions, and deductibles for certain losses, such as hurricanes. If you are the safety officer for your local church, become familiar with your insurance policy by contacting your local conference.
Recently, Adventist Risk Management, Inc. conducted a webinar on Preparing Ministries for Hurricane and Tropical Storms. You can watch this webinar on our website.
Do not wait until the storm is already approaching to begin preparing for a hurricane, as it can cause devastating damage to your church building. Identify the potential risks, take steps to control them, and transfer some of the cost associated with these storms to ARM.
References
1 https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-predicts-another-active-atlantic-hurricane-season
2 ARM Self-Inspection Form
Image credits: iStock/Guido Amrein
