Every second matters for property owners caught in disaster situations. Timely notices of incoming severe weather or other disasters can help leaders make impactful decisions for their facilities.

Cotton’s Business Intelligence Center, or simply the BIC, delivers the details you need for the moments that matter. With data-driven and hyper-localized insights, the BIC has the power to improve your business’ emergency preparedness and disaster response.

Every commercial roof is designed to protect what's underneath it. But a roof can only do that job if it's maintained the way it was built to be — consistently and proactively with an eye toward the small issues before they become costly ones.

Too often, roof maintenance becomes a reactive exercise: a leak appears, a tenant complains or a storm comes and reveals damage that had been building for months. By then, the cost of repair is almost always higher than the cost of prevention would have been. Commercial roof repair and replacement services from Cotton Roofing help with catching wear before it becomes a liability and protecting the asset underneath year-round, not just during the storm season. Read on to learn more about commercial roof preventative maintenance and Cotton’s free commercial roof inspection.

The easiest way to make commercial disasters more disruptive is not planning for them at all.

If you’re already searching for disaster recovery companies, you’re ahead of many property owners. Those who wait until after a loss to select business disaster recovery services are making a common and costly mistake.

This guide will help you understand how to choose a disaster recovery company that meets your goals. Making the right decision can help ease your stress both before and after a loss event.

After the destruction of a tropical storm or hurricane, much of the damage is impossible to miss. Missing roofs, shattered windows and flooded basements all demand emergency hurricane damage restoration to minimize business interruption.

However, some destruction sits just beyond what’s immediately visible. These harder-to-spot damage types can be devastating for building owners and management, costing time and money on hurricane damage services well after a tropical cyclone has ended.

This hurricane season, keep your commercial property on the path to success by not missing these top hidden threats after a storm.

#1. Hidden Water Behind Walls

After a hurricane, your property’s drywall may not feel wet, suggesting it did not sustain water damage.

However, be aware that water could still have seeped into your building’s insulation, requiring emergency hurricane damage restoration. The insulation will not function as effectively when soaked. More importantly, it could foster mold growth as the moist material sits in a damp, dark environment.

Hurricanes are among the most destructive and costliest natural disasters that can affect commercial properties. U.S. hurricanes alone have been responsible for over $1.5 trillion in total damages since 1980.

So exactly what types of damage can a hurricane cause? And why are these impacts so expensive? Understanding the most impactful physical threats, from intruding water to hurricane roof damage, can help commercial property owners prepare for and respond to tropical cyclones this storm season.

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season may be shaping up to be less active than average. However, if history has taught us anything, it's that "less active" is never the same as "safe."

Colorado State University (CSU) released its initial Atlantic hurricane season predictions for 2026 on April 9, predicting:

• 13 named storms

• 6 hurricanes

• 2 major hurricanes

That falls just below the 1991-2020 historical average. The primary driver behind this outlook is a powerful shift in the climate pattern. Specifically, the expected transition from current weak La Niña conditions into a moderate-to-strong El Niño by the peak of the season may have a significant impact on storm formation.

It may not get the same media coverage as hurricanes, but hailstorm damage can cost billions of dollars each year within the U.S.

Even a single hail event can be financially detrimental for communities; one of the costliest hailstorms in the nation occurred in Arizona during 2010 when a severe weather outbreak led to a damage toll of $2.8 million.

Such life-changing costs can have businesses and commercial property owners asking, “Is hail damage covered by insurance?” The full answer could help save your business from finding itself unprepared and financially pummeled by a hailstorm.

When a hailstorm hits, most property owners look for the obvious signs: broken windows, dented metal and visible roof damage. If everything appears intact, it’s easy to assume your building survived the worst of it. But the reality is that the most expensive hail damage is often the damage you don’t see.

For commercial properties, delaying for days or even weeks to take action after a hail event can turn a manageable repair into a major operational and financial setback.

At Cotton Global Disaster Services (Cotton GDS) and its sister company Cotton Roofing, our mission is to make it simple for you by delivering seamless end-to-end recovery roof damage restoration. As a turnkey service commercial roofing partner specializing in emergency roof services and commercial building storm damage, you and your business can rely on Cotton.

Even when the worst of the winter storm passes, your commercial property may still face risks well after the snowfall stops. Hidden threats can linger and leave damaging impacts days or weeks after frigid temperatures begin to lift. Unaddressed winter storm damages can manifest downstream, costing you time, money and operational success.

Winter storm damage prevention for commercial buildings remains crucial after the storm ends. Prepare today by learning key winter weather impacts that may linger. Taking steps to prevent these ongoing threats can help stop interruptions that could harm your business.

Winter storms don’t take a break — they arrive in full force, sweeping across regions and causing damage that can range from minor to catastrophic. That’s why here at Cotton Global Disaster Solutions (Cotton GDS), we don’t take a winter break either.

Frozen pipes, roof failures and heating system issues can lead to costly damage and unexpected business interruptions for commercial properties. While no one can predict exactly what winter will bring, proactive planning and preventive maintenance can significantly reduce risk and speed up recovery if a loss occurs.

Take this quick readiness poll, developed by Cotton GDS. See how prepared your commercial business is for winter weather and where you may need to take action before the next freeze.