Flood Emergency Response Plan

Transcription

1 Flood Emergecy Respose Pla

2 This reprit is made available for iformatioal purposes oly i support of the isurace relatioship betwee FM Global ad its cliets. This iformatio does ot chage or supplemet policy terms or coditios. The liability of FM Global is limited to that cotaied i its isurace policies.

3 Form, The Follow, Your FERP Photo: courtesy of FEMA A Well-Orgaized Flood Emergecy Respose Pla Does Make a Differece Do ot uderestimate the impact you ca have o reducig the potetial damage ad disruptio to your busiess if floodig occurs. There are coutless examples of employees takig impromptu steps that have reduced potetial damage ad disruptio durig a flood emergecy. Formal advaced plas, such as a flood emergecy respose pla (FERP), have the advatage that those ivolved are aware of the most importat steps to take, ad have adequate resources o had. What is uique to plaig for flood is that, by uderstadig the evet to which you are exposed, you ca factor i warig times that do ot exist i may other emergecies. This is the key to a effective FERP. Before developig a pla, take a hard look at equipmet ad/or processes i your basemet or other low-lyig areas. Relocatig this key equipmet ad/or processes to higher levels has a major ad permaet impact o your potetial loss should floodig occur, ad does ot rely o huma itervetio i the evet of a flood. Reprited from Record, the Magazie of Property Coservatio, First Quarter, Volume 80, No. 1,

4 By takig the time to uderstad the potetial flood evet that could affect your facility, you ca make good use of what warig time is available, however limited. Average Gross Losses from Flood ( ) Durig a recet 10-year period, FM Global recorded 118 losses where flood emergecy respose was a factor. A effective flood emergecy respose i 72 cases yielded a average gross loss of US$1.2 millio, whereas 46 cases with a ieffective or o respose pla yielded a average gross loss of US$4.2 millio. $4,500,000 $4,000,000 $3,500,000 $3,000,000 $2,500,000 $2,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,000,000 Protectig Your Property There are steps you ca take to protect your property from the ravages of flood, but, remember emergecy actios to protect your property from floodig are very differet from the actios eeded i case of fire. Flood emergecy actios eed time to be put ito place. By takig the time to uderstad the potetial flood evet that could affect your facility, you ca make good use of what warig time is available, however limited. Ad, if the potetial flood evet affects a wide area, make sure you cosider the impact to resources you might otherwise use, such as cotractors ad emergecy agecies. FM Global loss history has show that facilities with well-orgaized FERPs have early 70-percet less damage, ad resume operatios sooer tha those locatios without a FERP, or a iadequate oe, i place. The $500,000 $0 US$1,200,000 Effective Emergecy Respose US$4,200,000 Ieffective Emergecy Respose key to success? Spedig a adequate amout of time developig a FERP prior to the flood. Cosider takig the followig steps: Make sure you uderstad the potetial flood evets to which your site is exposed. It is critical to kow how much time you will have to put your pla i place. Importat aspects iclude warig time, how fast the water will rise, ad how log it will last. This is where your FM Global egieer ca help you. Esure you have a reliable method of flood warig. Flood predictios for large rivers ca give a few weeks warig. With tropical storms, hurricae trackig gives a idicatio a few days ahead, but, typically, provides 12 to 24 hours specific otice. With small streams, there may be very little warig time the best resource may be the local weather forecast. Establish the potetial impact to your busiess (e.g., what operatios will be affected, what level of damage will be ivolved, etc.). Your local FM Global egieer ca provide assistace. Idetify ay potetial chages you could make to your facility to permaetly reduce the impact of flood, such as: Removig valuables from basemets/low-lyig areas wherever possible Usig permaet barriers to keep water out

5 To Be Effective... a well-plaed flood emergecy respose pla (FERP) should iclude: Oe perso who has the ultimate authority to activate the FERP ad redirect productio resources ad, ultimately, shut dow operatios, if ecessary; Procedures to safely shut dow equipmet ad isolate electrical equipmet; Procedures to raise ad/or relocate key equipmet ad material; Plas to prevet water from eterig key areas ad/or etire buildigs; Plas to take care of employees ad their families, if the flood fight is prologed; Reliace o those employees whose homes are ulikely to be affected by the same flood; Iclusio of post-flood repair ad busiess-recovery plas; Regular traiig procedures; ad Revisios as chages occur (e.g., persoel ad busiess activities). Raisig key equipmet above expected flood levels Establish effective emergecy actios, icludig: Usig temporary barriers ad sadbags Movig high-value stocks ad supplies Movig portable highvalue equipmet Make sure you kow how log the pla will take to put ito effect. It s essetial to balace available warig time ad resources to your expectatios. Try to orgaize actios ito idividual steps, so each oe has some beefit ad you do t eed 100-percet compliace for your FERP to be effective. If your FERP revolves solely aroud keepig water out, you may oly have oe chace to take precautios. It s ulikely you ca close flood doors or build sadbag barriers oce the water starts comig i. Be alert to the resources available day ad ight, ad make sure all time periods are adequately covered. Have adequate resources available to clea up, to start dryig out wet areas, ad to retur operatios back to ormal oce floodwaters recede. Formalize your FERP i writig, dry-ru the etire pla ad coduct regular traiig exercises. Where possible, develop cotigecy plas, takig advatage of make-up capacity at sister operatios, subcotract capabilities or other possible alteratives.

6 Growig Up or Out? You ca protect your property from flood if you are buildig a ew facility or addig o to a existig oe. Here are some guidelies. If you are buildig a ew facility: Do t build ear a flood zoe; If you are ear a flood zoe, ask a hydrologist to review available iformatio ad coduct a study to determie the exposure. (FM Global egieers ca help iterpret the study ad review your site desig for flood exposure); Avoid storig valuable equipmet ad/or materials below grade; Avoid locatios that rely upo access/trasportatio routes that are i a flood zoe; ad Avoid relyig upo utilities that are i a flood zoe. If you are addig o to a existig facility: Build above the predicted flood level; Avoid below-grade spaces; Flood-proof exterior walls ad doors; Elevate key equipmet, icludig electrical cotrols ad process equipmet; Limit i-process ad fiished storage; ad, most importatly, Update your FERP. 6

7 Warig time may be limited, but a good FERP will help prevet your orgaizatio from experiecig uecessary property damage ad busiess iterruptio. Photo: courtesy of FEMA Remember, it s importat to develop a FERP for your specific facility. Do t adopt a pla that s bee prepared for aother facility withi your orgaizatio or for a eighborig facility your pla must reflect local coditios ad be govered by the cotets, equipmet ad costructio of your facility. The Ultimate Authority As you prioritize actios, be sure to evaluate the busiess impact of each step. Actios that do ot affect ormal busiess activities are easy to implemet with the right resources. Oce your pla starts to affect your busiess, establish the most appropriate level of authority ecessary to shut dow your facility. Do ot uderestimate the challege this presets the success of the etire pla is to work ahead of the flood, so you are reliat o flood-warig iformatio. Takig actio ca lead to disruptio. After all, there always is the chace that predictios are wrog ad the flood may ot occur. By truly uderstadig the potetial flood evet, as well as the ature of the warig ad timig, you will be able to determie a poit of o retur, after which your pla will ot have time to work. This may be the most critical part of the pla, so it s essetial that maagemet is aware of the implicatios, supports the pla, ad agrees as to who has the authority to put the pla ito place regardless of the immediate busiess implicatios. Oly Oe Piece of the Puzzle While a well-developed FERP ca be effective, you ca have a great impact by takig some physical steps to protect key parts of your busiess. Where possible, relocate key processes ad/or material from basemets ad low-lyig areas to other parts of your facility at elevatios higher tha the expected flood. If this is ot practical, cosider protectig idividual areas ad/or equipmet by: Blockig or waterproofig widow opeigs; Istallig flood doors that ca easily be put ito place; Creatig permaet or portable barriers aroud critical equipmet; Securig rack structures; ad/or Relocatig your most valuable ad critical materials to upper rack tiers. Do t Have a FERP? It s importat to take the time to develop a comprehesive FERP. I the meatime, however, you ca put ito place some basic procedures that will make a differece, such as followig ormal equipmet safety-shutdow procedures, ad isolatig electrical ad flammable-liquid/gas equipmet. For help with developig a FERP or with ay of the steps outlied here, cotact your local FM Global egieer or cliet servicig represetative. 7

8 For additioal copies of this publicatio or other FM Global resources, order olie 24 hours a day, seve days a week at Or, for persoal assistace worldwide, cotact our U.S.-based customer services team, Moday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET: Toll-free: (1) (Caada ad Uited States) By phoe: +1 (1) By fax: +1 (1) P0589 Prited i USA (9/05) 2005 Factory Mutual Isurace Compay All rights reserved. I the Uited Kigdom: FM Isurace Compay Limited, 1 Widsor Dials, Widsor, Berkshire, SL4 1RS Regulated by the Fiacial Services Authority.