If the big storm is coming, it may already be too late.
That’s why it’s never too early to begin preparing for hurricane season. Over the past several years, dozens of communities across the country have been devastated by these terrifying storms. Some have yet to fully recover. Minimizing the impact should be a priority of any business and nothing should be left to chance.
No matter what the size of your business, you should have a hurricane plan in place – one that addresses the safety of your team members, building preparation in advance of the storm and potential damage following it.
Preparing for the storm
With the stress of taking care of family, team members and your building increasing with each new hurricane update, there are some things you can do now to ease your worry once a storm heads your way. Perhaps the best place to start for a large company is renting portable power and portable cooling for the season, which runs from June 1 through November 30.
Smaller investments like renting a scissor lift and chainsaws to cut down tree limbs near power lines — or even trees planted too close to your building — could reduce the potential for power loss, window, roof or structural damage.
Hurricane contingency plan
Government facilities, hospitals, retirement homes and large companies that cannot be without power are encouraged to contact Herc Rentals and sign up for a hurricane contingency plan. Herc Rentals has multiple options available that meet or exceed whatever you may need, ranging from generators, portable cooling and fuel tanks to pumps, desiccant dehumidifiers, LGR dehumidifiers, air movers and a lot more.
It all starts with power
When you begin developing a hurricane contingency plan with Herc Rentals, step one is assessing your building’s power needs. By simply going to your building’s power panel, you’ll be able to see the amount of volts and amps your building requires. A brief consultation with a Herc Rentals ProSolutions representative will then determine what size generator and portable cooling unit you’ll need. Another key piece of information needed is the distance between the expected location of your generator and your building’s electrical panel. No one wants to have to deal with the aggravation of having everything in place and then discovering you don’t have enough cable to make it all work.
In the wake of recent catastrophic hurricanes, Herc Rentals is offering packages that combine generators with external fuel tanks. With some fuel distributors charging in excess of $300 an hour simply for delivery, external fuel tanks can offer a business owner peace of mind knowing that they’ll have fuel to power their generators for at least three days following a storm.
Water, water everywhere
While a loss of power affects almost everyone during a hurricane, water damage from storm surge and flooding of nearby creeks, rivers and lakes should not be overlooked either. To ensure your building or job site is back up and running as quickly as possible, Herc Rentals also offers water pumps, LGR dehumidifiers, desiccant dehumidifiers, air scrubbers, air movers and more. These devices are used to remove standing water and dry out damp areas quickly and before mold sets in.
In most cases, LGR dehumidifiers will work for homes, offices and compact rooms. For larger businesses like retail outlets, big box stores, hospitals and buildings larger than 10,000 square feet, renting a desiccant dehumidifier makes a lot more sense. Desiccant units are great for that extremely large space with large volumes of air.
Herc Rentals does the heavy lifting
Obviously, logistics play a large role in getting equipment to a client. Being prepared and moving equipment in at the right times is paramount and Herc Rentals is ready to move within minutes of a phone call. Not only will the equipment you need arrive in a timely manner, Herc Rentals will work with the client’s project manager and set up the equipment including large pieces like desiccant units and 1 MG generators.
The time to act is now
Following a hurricane, relief efforts and the best restoration contractors get to work immediately. Contractors who fail to plan ahead or delay preparations, run the risk of losing out on the equipment they need and, in turn, potential earnings. Restoration contractors who rent the most equipment early can usually find the best prices and will have the opportunity to use the equipment on many jobs — potentially using the same piece of equipment for several weeks, or months, as they contract new work.
Building a relationship with an equipment rental company like Herc Rentals prior to a storm’s arrival ensures restoration contractors’ customers will not only get the equipment and service they need, but also accelerate the process in getting lives and businesses back to normal.
Preparation and partnering with the right equipment rental company — one that has the industry’s best, most high-performing and innovative products along with a proven commitment to customer service excellence — will make the recovery process that much smoother.
Herc Rentals is ready when a disaster strikes. We want you to be too!
