Hail No: Protecting Colorado Businesses Against Hail Season

There’s one consistent hazard in Colorado every year — the return of hail season — and your business should be prepared. Colorado’s infamously dangerous and costly hail season begins mid-April, and runs throughout the summer and into September.

Colorado is one of the most hail-prone states in America with 380,066 hail loss claims between 2017 and 2019, according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau Hail Report. That’s 14 percent of all hail claims in the United States. In fact, of the top five U.S. cities with the most hail loss claims, two are in Colorado — Colorado Springs and Denver. And the financial impact is tremendous. In May 2017, a powerful storm accompanied by hail resulted in $3.6 billion in damages across Colorado. In the last 11 years, hailstorms have caused more than $5 billion in insured damage in Colorado.

While you can’t predict the unexpected, business owners can better prepare themselves with preventive measures against these dangerous storms.

READ: Protect Your Business from Severe Weather and Inflation — 5 Strategies for Colorado Business Owners

Inspect your roof every year to prevent indoor storm damage

Not only does a regular roof inspection extend the life of your roof, which saves you money long-term, but it also allows you to troubleshoot and remedy any issues such as split shingles, loose or broken roofing material, rusty metal and sagging. It is much easier to fix a small roof problem than a collapsed roof or burgeoning leak that can cause even more damage inside.

Address Drainage Problems Prior to Storm Season

Check your gutters and building drainage before the storm season begins. If your gutters are due for a cleaning, contact a local gutter company to complete the job. Additionally, if your roof has been damaged, there’s a good chance your gutters have too. Neglected gutters spell disaster as they accumulate debris and standing water. Standing water can easily overflow into your foundation, potentially flooding the basement and shutting down your establishment.

Secure outdoor items to prevent wind damage

Any grills, picnic tables and/or lawn furniture can become projectiles in high-wind scenarios. “Batten down the hatches” as they say — you don’t want your patio umbrella to go spiraling through the air in the midst of a summer storm. Consider securing patio furniture with steel cables if you cannot safely store furniture.

Trim your trees to prevent storm damage

While dead trees and dead branches are a liability all of the time, dead branches are more likely to fall during heavy storms and gusting winds. This can be hazardous to you, your employees, patrons and the building. From tree limbs falling on the roof to dead branches getting tangled in power lines, a well-maintained property will, again, help you avoid costly storm damage insurance claims.

Create a storm preparation checklist

  • Have storm supplies inside the building and in working order. This includes flashlights, backup generators, water bottles, battery-operated weather radio, first-aid kit, blankets, extra batteries and a toolset.
  • Maintain a current contact list for state and local entities and ensure employees know where it is.
  • Have an emergency plan in place for severe weather and make sure employees are properly trained in what to do.

READ: 10 Things You Should Check for in Home and Property Insurance Policies

Have a Plan for Power Loss

A plan for a power loss should include:

  • Who to contact in the case of a power outage and their contact information.
  • Where supplies are kept (ie: batteries, weather radio, flashlights, first-aid kit, etc.).
  • Instructions for employees to keep freezers and refrigerators closed.
  • Compliance with generator safety measures by only using outdoors and away from windows.
  • Notice that a gas stove should not be used as a heating source.

With the worst of this year’s hail season possibly still ahead of us, there’s never been a better time to prepare for a possible hail storm, especially if you call “Hail Alley” home. Business owners can mitigate damage to their building, payroll and bottom line if they invest a little bit of time into preventive measures. For more information on Society Insurance, please visit https://www.societyinsurance.com/.

 

For over 100 years, Society Insurance has worked alongside business owners – restaurants like yours – to deliver on the small details that make the biggest difference. Understanding the particular needs of your restaurant means knowing where the risks are and helping you control them to minimize loss.

How restaurants can protect themselves against the costly hail season

With so many uncertainties in the restaurant and bar industry, there’s one consistent hazard in Colorado every spring: the return of hail season. Colorado’s infamously dangerous and costly hail season begins mid-April, running throughout the summer and into September, and your business should be prepared.

Colorado is one of the most hail-prone states in America, with a reported 380,066 hail loss claims between 2017 and 2019, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This represents 14% of all hail claims in the United States. In fact, of the top five U.S. cities with the most hail loss claims, two are in Colorado – Colorado Springs and Denver. And the financial impact of the damage is tremendous. In May 2017, a powerful storm accompanied by hail resulted in $3.6 billion in damages across Colorado.

While you can’t predict the unexpected, restaurants can better prepare themselves with annual preventive measures against these dangerous storms. The following are best practices for bars and restaurants to avoid costly storm damage and insurance claims from hailstorms and other natural disasters.

Regularly inspect your roof

Not only does regularly inspecting your roof extend the life of your roof and save you money in the long term, it also allows you to troubleshoot and remedy any issues such as split shingles, loose or broken roofing material, rusty metal and sagging. Inspecting your roof every year or two will help prevent indoor damage to your property.

Address drainage problems prior to hail season

Check your gutters and building drainage before the storm season begins. If your gutters are due for a cleaning, contact a local gutter company to complete the job. Additionally, if your roof has been damaged, your gutters have probably been damaged too. Neglected gutters spell disaster as they accumulate debris and standing water. Standing water can easily overflow into your foundation, potentially flooding the basement and shutting down your establishment.

Secure outdoor items to prevent wind damage

Grills, picnic tables and lawn furniture can become projectiles in high wind scenarios. It’s best to ‘Batten down the hatches’ as they say — you don’t want your patio umbrella to go spiraling through the air during a summer storm. Consider securing patio furniture with steel security cables if you cannot safely store furniture indoors.

Trim your trees to prevent storm damage

While dead trees and dead branches are a liability all of the time, dead branches are more likely to fall during heavy storms and gusting winds. This can be hazardous to you, your employees, patrons and the building. From tree limbs falling on the roof to dead branches getting tangled in power lines, a well-maintained property will help you avoid costly storm damage insurance claims.

Research insurance companies and policies

Like with cars and apartments, you should shop around for the insurance policy that fits your business best. Try and select an insurance company that understands the unique needs of your restaurant or bar. The right company will know where the risks are and can help you control them to minimize loss.

 

Colorado’s Front Range receives the highest frequency of large hail in North America. Residents can expect three to four catastrophic hailstorms every year, defined as at least $25 million in insured damage. Restaurant owners can lessen the damage to their building, payroll and bottom line if they invest a little bit of time every year into preparing for the season.