PREVENTING DESTRUCTION
‘ BUSINESSES THAT HAVE ADEQUATE RISK PREVENTION PRACTICES IN PLACE WILL BE IN A POSITION TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE OVER COMPETITORS WHO DO NOT ’ that exist within flood zones should prioritise two strategies : keeping the floodwater out of important buildings , and limiting what gets damaged when water does enter a structure .
To reduce the impact of flood on business , there are simple , practical steps that can be taken , such as moving critical items out of exposed areas . The damage can be mitigated by making permanent physical changes to your facility , such as installing flood proof doors , barriers , submersible pumps , anchoring any outside equipment , and filling empty storage tanks . Where the above is feasible and practical , these measures significantly reduce the impact of a flood .
Elevating important equipment ( permanently or temporarily ) above predicted flood levels is also an excellent way of mitigating the damage . As a minimum all facilities potentially exposed to flooding should develop a flood emergency response plan . Such plan should be based on an understanding of the importance of assets to the business as well as their intrinsic value and the repair / replacement time is such assets are damaged .
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