Several serious and damaging hurricanes have hit South Carolina in recent years. Lessons from these storms have encouraged more thoughtful planning and preparedness for municipalities. This can be especially true when considering business continuity after an emergency occurs.
Forecasters predict that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1, 2024, will see an above-average number of hurricanes. There are a predicted 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes and 5 hurricanes expected to be above Category 3. Planning for hurricanes or any other disaster should involve developing a preparedness and response plan focusing on preparedness and business continuity to help restart operations after an emergency.
Risk management services has created a checklist for municipalities to use as a starting point when preparing for the 2024 hurricane season. Examples of items on the list include these:
- Determine what physical assets are at risk.
- Identify potential service interruption issues and impacts.
- Determine if all insured asset values are up-to-date to reflect current values for potential claims involving property damage, business interruption and other coverage areas.
- Review insured property values and how they might impact recovery and deductibles.
- Understand the extent of insurance coverage contractual limits and sub-limits.
- Review plans or policies for mitigating property damage before a storm hits and for recovery when it's over.
The complete check list can be viewed online . For more information on hurricane planning, response and recovery, contact loss control staff at losscontrol@masc.sc.