Huge hurricane over Florida and Cuba. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

11 Facility questions to ask in preparation for a hurricane

We’ve been focusing on checklists for the past month in preparation for the NFMT Vegas conference coming up in November, and now with Hurricane Matthew on the horizon it only seems appropriate to have a Hurricane checklist for your facility.

We are in the heart of hurricane season making it imperative that facilities, like hotels and resorts, be fully prepared for storms before, after, and during their passing. Good preventive maintenance programs as part of an overall hotel asset management strategy through the use of an EAM is important for hurricane preparations.

Asset Management for Hurricanes

The first step in protecting your facility is an organized approach to maintenance. Below shows an asset checklist of some major questions that facilities, like hotels, should be asking their operation departments.

Hurricane Asset Checklist

Before a Storm

  • Do you know where all your assets are, have a detailed description, know their condition and when they were last inspected or repaired?
  • Do you have a task list of assets that is computerized and secure?
  • Can the inspections be done using handheld mobile devices?
  • Are your important documents associated with assets electronically secure and accessible? Do you know which vendors to contact for each asset should they be damaged?

During a Storm

  • How will you monitor critical assets or assets that must be left online?
  • Is there an inspection checklist to inspect for physical or sensory developments, such as leaks, pipe breaks, or gas leaks?
  • How quickly can you shut down critical assets like electric or gas lines?

After a Storm

  • How does your hotel handle inspecting assets? Is it a walkthrough or an organized pre-determined list of questions to answer?
  • How will your hotel or resort handle work requests and work orders?
  • Can work requests be done on the spot for repair/replace decisions or must the staff return to the office to complete paperwork first?
  • How long will it take your hotel or resort to produce a new asset management report on the condition of all assets after the storm passes?

The Calm Before the Storm

Preparation is key when it comes to securing your facility from a dangerous storm or when protecting your assets from long-term damage or repair. Asset management then comes when that prep work is turned into a plan.

Asset management begins with a plan to make sure that all assets are cared for on a regular basis as well as protected during an emergency.

In order to keep assets functioning properly and efficiently, a system needs to be in place to maximize the useful lifecycle of each asset and detect problems early in order to reduce heavy costs.

An EAM system can provide facilities with the tools they need to be proactive in a disaster situation; an EAM system will help facilities open up for business faster by minimizing damage and increasing response time to damaged assets.

It only takes a second to miss a flaw in an asset without the right tools, are you prepared to suffer through the cost?

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