Preparing Your Business for Severe Weather

Winter weather may have a chilling impact on your bottom line. In fact, one-in-four businesses never re-open following a severe winter weather event. Extreme winter weather can create hazardous conditions that disrupt your business operations including power outages, structural damage and water intrusion. 

Fortunately, as we head into the heart of the winter season, property owners can take science-based actions to help safeguard their business. Before identifying key vulnerable areas of a business, property managers must understand their building’s exposure. Structures located in Northern regions of the United States can expect to see more snow and will have slightly different preparedness actions versus buildings in the South, which typically have plumbing on exterior walls that can freeze more easily.

After identifying site specific vulnerabilities, property managers should highlight these areas in their maintenance and emergency preparedness plan. When looking at the facility, the first line of defense against severe weather is the roof, a critical element that keeps wind and water out of the building and requires ongoing maintenance. Excessive snow and ice on your roof can add dangerous loads to the supporting structure.

The following conditions add approximately five pounds per square foot on a roof:

• 10–12 inches of new snow
• 3–5 inches of packed/old snow
• 1-inch of ice

The accumulated weight of two feet of old snow plus two feet of new snow could be as high as
60 pounds per square foot of roof space, which could stress the limits of even the most conservatively designed roof. Have a licensed contractor on retainer to remove snow with a bristle broom, not a shovel, if the snow load exceeds 20–25 pounds per square foot. 

If you don’t know your roof’s snow load, hire a structural engineer to verify the snow load threshold of the roofing system ahead of a winter weather event. Another vulnerable component of your business is the building envelope that encompasses the exterior walls, doors and windows. Breaches in the envelope can lead to cold drafts or extreme temperature drops inside the building that can cause cascading problems. 

Be sure to:

• Inspect and add weather stripping to doors.
• Examine windows for brittle or missing glazing and have a contractor make repairs if necessary.
• Check and seal exterior wall cladding. Repair all cracks, holes and leaks with caulk.
• Insulate and seal around attic penetrations such as partition walls, vents, plumbing stacks, and electrical and mechanical chases.

Exposed plumbing can freeze when subjected to cold temperatures and burst, causing extensive damage to interior finishes and inventory. Frozen pipes are the leading cause of property damage from winter weather. 

It is best practice to:

• Make sure pipes along exterior walls and in hard-to-reach places like attics are insulated. Wrap pipes and faucets in unheated or minimally heated areas of the building.

 Install and/or test:

• Monitoring systems that provide notifications if the building’s temperature dips below a pre-determined minimum.
• Window sensors that detect when one is left open. Ensure all windows are closed properly to reduce the probability of cold drafts.
• Automatic excess flow valve on the main incoming domestic water line to monitor and provide early detection of a broken pipe or valve. Excess flow valves automatically stop the flow of water when preset flow settings are exceeded.
• Wireless water detection sensors that monitor leaks near water sources such as water tanks and commercial appliances.
• Hire a licensed fire protection specialist to conduct routine maintenance on fire
  protection sprinkler systems. Discuss the systems’ exposure to winter weather and
  potential mitigation options.

During a power outage, the temperature inside a building can drop, which could also lead to pipes freezing. Having a generator on your property is key to maintaining internal temperatures. Permanent generators are the most expensive but provide seamless access to electricity while
portable generators and those brought in risk some downtime while being connected or delivered. Consider which option is best for your business.

Last-Minute Preparation
Here are recommendations for last-minute preparation when severe weather is in the forecast:

• Monitor weather using a reliable source of information.
• Confirm services with retained contractors such as snow removal and delivery of a temporary generator.
• Set the building’s thermostat to a minimum of 55 °F.
• Let all faucets in small commercial properties drip during extreme cold weather to prevent freezing of the water inside the pipe and, if freezing does occur, to relieve pressure buildup in the pipes between the ice blockage and the faucet.

Severe winter weather is a significant cause of insured catastrophic losses and is a risk for many businesses across the country. Taking the basic steps to prepare and maintain your property could be the dividing factor of continued operations. Additional guidance on how to be Winter Weather Ready can be found at ibhs.org/winter-ready-business.