What Contractors Need to Know for Hurricane Season
The Southern states often bear the brunt of the country’s worst weather systems. Whether it’s damaging hurricanes and tornadoes that hurtle in off the Gulf of Mexico or devastating floods that destroy local and regional communities, extreme weather conditions show no signs of slowing down in America’s Deep South.
You only have to think back to Hurricane Katrina and the way in which it altered the landscape of New Orleans and much more of South Louisiana—at a cost of 1,833 fatalities and more than $100 billion in damages. Houston, Texas, was also rocked in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey, with more than 60 inches of rain causing the destruction of 200,000 homes and businesses throughout southeast Texas. This article on the worst floods by USA Today is a timely reminder of the atrocities Americans experience in the Deep South and elsewhere on along the coast.
With weather fronts remaining particularly fragile in America’s Southern states, it reinforces the difficult job that contractors have in forging ahead with construction, landscaping, electrical and roofing projects in the knowledge that their hours of hard work can be ruined within the blink of a storm’s eye. Contractors in all trades work hard for their customers. They want to ensure their work is carried out at the highest levels of professionalism, with product quality and safety at the heart of everything they do so they won’t find themselves suddenly scrambling to figure out how to find construction jobs. Subsequently, there are various issues contractors in the Deep South have to factor into their everyday work to protect themselves and their clients.
Investing in flood prevention materials
Floodwaters can cause millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and businesses in the Deep South. Contractors wanting to protect their work and maintain the safety and integrity of buildings, utilities and supplies are increasingly investing in their own flood prevention materials to come to the aid of clients. There are flood panels discussed by Flood Risk America that now feature imperishable flood seals to prevent spaces such as storefronts, boiler rooms and elevator shafts from falling foul of rising floodwater and subsequent expensive repairs.
Insurance is now an integral part of a contractor’s contingency planning
Depending on which Southern state a contractor works in, general liability contractors insurance may be a legal requirement, offering a base level of insurance coverage for clients. Contractors insurance by Next Insurance is increasingly popular among Southern-based contractors, as it offers protection for themselves and their clients in the event of unpredictable weather conditions causing untold damage. It enables contractors to focus on the project at hand without fear of the next storm or flood and the potential damage it could cause.
Insurance for a self-employed contractor also gives clients the confidence that they will not only do the job to the best of their abilities, but they will also be taken care of in the unlikely event of a catastrophe. With a combined insurance policy containing general and professional liability coverage and an unlimited number of insurance certificates available to be handed to clients, it is best to guard against all eventualities when working in the Deep South.
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