Spring showers can bring more than blooming flowers for commercial properties. Excessive rainfall, melting snow and other springtime-related weather threats can all cause costly water damage for unprepared buildings. However, water intrusion in your facility does not have to mean financial disaster.
By learning the sources and impacts of spring water damage, you can begin to better prepare your commercial property and withstand the season’s wettest threats.
As the days get longer and trees regain their leaves, the weather also changes — and in some cases, can become even more damaging for your property. Learning the following top sources of spring water damage can help you better prepare and begin planning for each type.
Are April showers as common as the old “May flowers” saying suggests? While April is actually just the fifth wettest month of the year, the month does bring increased showers of short durations. The entire season’s more frequent rain showers can lead to heavily saturated grounds that can’t hold the water and overflowing rivers that spill into communities. Flooding from such saturation can invade your property, leading to big bottom-line impacts.
In addition to soaking rain showers, spring’s violent thunderstorms can deliver a host of severe weather threats to your building. Slow-moving thunderstorms may cause flash flooding from the rapid amount of rainfall. Lightning strikes, straight-line winds and hail from severe storms can all also puncture your building, leading not only to property damage but also to water intrusion inside your facility. Lightning may even spark flames and require full-scale fire damage restoration.
In spring, hailstorms also become more common in parts of the United States. Because springtime clouds have a lower freezing level, the hail that forms has less time to melt before reaching the ground, leading to the possibility of more hail. That means your property may suffer from hail damage (and subsequent water intrusion from a punctured roof), possibly setting your business back thousands of dollars in damage.
If your business is located in a region that receives heavy snow buildup during winter, the subsequent snowmelt due to spring’s warmer temperatures can mean excess water around your building. Without proper drainage, the melting snow could flood parts of your property or impact your facility’s foundation.
In addition to the above causes of spring water damage, your property may also be subject to several other unexpected water damage impacts. Bursting pipes from temperature changes, clogged gutters resulting in poor drainage and appliance failures, including HVAC issues, can all lead to water damage in March, April and May.
Spring’s many sources of water damage have the potential to spell financial disaster for your business. Read on to learn how the season’s threats can result in possibly expensive setbacks for the unprepared property owner.
The rains, snowmelt and storms of spring all mean more chances for water to get into your property, requiring water extraction. Flooding can lead to commercial water damage for businesses in nearly any industry and may result in the following costly secondary effects to your property.
Water intrusion from spring flooding can cause destruction to your building itself. As water seeps into floors and walls, it can warp materials, discolor surfaces and weaken the structural integrity of your facility. In addition to water extraction and dehumidification, this type of damage may require structural repairs to ensure the safety of your workplace post-flood.
As floodwater saturates the ground around your building, it can also impact the structure’s foundation. Repeated freezing and melting of water that enters openings in the foundation or repeated expansion of soil from wet to dry can result in cracks that can lead to steep costs, especially if left unaddressed.
A flooded building means risk not only for your structure, but also for your contents. Damaged items, especially valuable inventory, can mean halting or slowing operations. Costs could increase further from operational downtime and the need to replace lost inventory. Damage to furniture, fixtures and equipment, including paper documents and sensitive records, can lead to the need for time-sensitive commercial water damage restoration.
Flooding inside your building can also reach electrical equipment like printers, computers and local data servers. Electrical damage from floods can further inflate costs if the interaction of electricity and water leads to fire damage. Fires in commercial properties can lead to significant dollar loss on top of the existing flood damage costs.
Fixing, replacing or restoring the flooded equipment alone can place a burden on a property owner’s wallet, but business owners also need to consider the value of lost data. Fortunately, some restoration companies offer comprehensive data recovery and electronic restoration to restore critical systems and information after floods.
Heading into spring with a poorly maintained roof can lead to leaks and further damage when the season’s wet weather comes in full force. Preexisting damage leaves your roof vulnerable to even more weakening during spring’s frequent hailstorms. The falling ice could cause small cracks and dents to open up to even more devastating setbacks.
Fixing roof damage can be costly, and the resulting water intrusion from a damaged roof means flood damage mitigation may be needed as well.
If the constant barrage of spring’s showers continues to seep into your property or if water intrusion is left untreated, mold could grow in your building. Costs can inflate as the mold spreads, so seeking mold remediation as soon as the growth is detected can help lessen the financial blow of this environmental concern.
A quick response is also essential since the spreading mold spores — whether in commercial kitchens or apartment complexes — could impact employees, customers and tenants through respiratory issues, allergic reactions and unpleasant odors.
A slow, unprepared response to any of spring’s violent weather impacts can lead to lost revenue, operational downtime and decreased employee productivity. Without a plan in place and communication, the loss could be worsened by reputational damage, resulting in customers or patrons dissatisfied with your service during the disaster.
Heading into spring with a disaster emergency plan and a way to rapidly address these potentially expensive issues can help minimize business and bottom-line impacts.
Although spring’s weather can bring cost-intensive setbacks, you can begin taking steps today to help offset the financial burden of an unprepared response to the season’s worst.
You can help prevent some of the most extreme impacts of springtime showers and flooding by making sure the water drains properly around your building. Have gutters and downspouts inspected and cleaned to stop rainwater from pooling.
Additionally, take a look at your landscaping to ensure it slopes away from your facility. This is particularly important for preventing flooding around the foundation that could lead to structural cracks and damage.
Check windows, doors and the building itself for any cracks or openings. Such cracks could allow springtime water inside your building, culminating in flooding during severe storms or mold growth. Before spring’s storms, you can have your building’s foundation evaluated to ensure it does not have early vulnerabilities that could be worsened during the season.
Similarly, conduct preventative roof maintenance. You can help save money by repairing and improving your roof ahead of spring’s damaging storms. To assist, seek out a trusted company that provides no-cost roof inspections before the weather worsens.
Move into springtime with confidence by setting up an emergency response plan for the season’s most common destructive weather patterns. To build your plan, get tips from disaster experts, analyze flood maps and work directly with professional disaster response planners on how to best prepare your property. Ensure your team and employees are aligned and informed for emergency weather response.
Secure a trusted solutions provider for comprehensive help after spring water damage. When picking a good restoration partner, consider choosing a provider that can offer comprehensive services for the full spectrum of springtime threats.
A company like Cotton Global Disaster Solutions (Cotton GDS) can provide full turnkey solutions 24/7. Their comprehensive services provide your property with all-in-one, expert remedies to ensure you get back to business quickly after damage. Cotton’s decades of disaster experience, national reach and teams ready to roll any time of day or night mean you can minimize downtime and reduce the financial burden from an otherwise uninformed, slow response.
Though spring water damage can come with a hefty price tag for your property, you can keep your business afloat with proper preparation and securing a strong disaster recovery partner.
For assistance in preparing for or responding to severe weather any time of year, contact Cotton GDS today. Reach Cotton online or by phone (877-511-2962) for 24/7 support.