Water Damage & Flooded Basement Restoration Services

Shopping Mall Water Damage Preparedness and Education

By the RestorationSOS Educational Staff

According to a study, and as evident from the items mentions in Consequences of Water Damage in Shopping Malls, water damage is one of the top five causes of business disasters and this makes it necessary for owners of commercial properties such as shopping malls to prepare against such hazards. The fact is most shopping mall owners realize that they have to prepare not only for the worst water-related emergency but for every type of water damage incident that could happen from flooding to internal causes.

Most shopping mall owners are making every effort to protect their businesses from the damage that water intrusion can create. Some of the preparedness and preventive efforts that they take include reinforcements to the building and purchasing more insurance to protect their business from extended interruptions.

One of the best and proven ways to prepare for any type of disaster is to have an emergency plan. The basic framework of an emergency management plan deals with the following areas:

• Mitigation – Steps to be taken to reduce the impact of water damage hazards; should be ongoing and based on a thorough identification and understanding of hazards.
• Preparation – Steps to be taken before a crisis situation, including educating and training staff on emergency response.
• Response – Immediate steps to be taken during and right after an emergency to control physical damage such as shutting down the main source of water supply in the event of internal water damage.
• Recovery – Starts with steps to be taken to restore critical business functions soon after the incident, also known as a business continuity plan. This plan aims to cut downtime after a crisis and resume cash flow as quickly as possible. A recovery plan, on the other hand, is a broader set of short-term and long-term actions and strategies geared towards eventually restoring normal mall operations.

It is also important to have a team that will be ready to respond during a water damage situation. Typically, the team includes people from upper management, the public information officer and people from the departments of engineering/maintenance, security/health, sales and marketing, finance and purchasing, and legal. However, it would be a great idea to include emergency service responders in the field of water damage such as cleanup and restoration companies and plumbing specialists.

Recommended Reading
Consequences of Water Damage in Shopping Malls
Shopping Mall Water Damage Recovery