At this time of year, we always try to encourage our clients to remember to take special care to protect their assets over the holidays.
Following the tragic wildfires in California, we should be extra vigilant in taking all precautions around damage that can be caused by Mother Nature.
There are some man-made dangers too!
Australia is a wonderful place to live, but our beautiful country can provide a few challenges. Whether it be fires, storms, floods or other natural disasters, sitting down for a few moments to put together a disaster recovery plan could never be considered wasted time.
As always, many government agencies providing excellent advice on how to plan ahead to mitigate damage to your property, whether it be your personal property or your business.
Bushfires are becoming more intense and it is no longer a remote rural issue.
The various state arms of the SES have so much useful information on preparing and most importantly, surviving.
As you would expect, there is a lot of information around the bush and rural properties, but did you know that if you live along the coast near scrub you are also at risk? Coastal scrub fires can be hot and move very fast. This holds true for properties in built up areas that back onto grassland as grass fires can start easily and spread very quickly – embers can be blown towards your home and from there the situation can deteriorate very quickly.
The Rural Fire Service has a very extensive Bushfire Readiness Plan click below to download.
With much of the country suffering from extreme drought, not many people are thinking about this topic, but with extreme storms, “flash flooding” is becoming much more common. While flood generally refers to a river or natural watercourse bursting its banks, flash flooding is the result of a heavy rain from an intense storm storm falling in a particularly short period of time and can be just as devastating to the affected area.
With respect to flood safety, the ABC has an excellent summary:
Again, the Emergency Services provide exceptionally useful information via the SES website on floods. Click here to read more >
With respect to storms, remember preparation is the key. Some points to be aware of include:
** anything to do with heights, roofs, and trees can be dangerous, so it may be prudent to enlist the assistance of a qualified tradesperson
There are other things you can do to help reduce the chance of you being a holiday victim:-
With more people crowding into shopping centres over this time of year, ensure that you and your staff follow a few simple procedures:-
Over holidays when business are closed, there are always increased risks. There are things that you can do that may slow down or deter would-be thieves.
If you are going away, but the business is continuing to run, ensure that the person in charge has:-
If you believe that this issue is relevant to your business, please feel free to contact Rebecca Fleming, Manager of our Travel Industry Division at Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers on (02) 8267 9919 or rfleming@gowates.com.au to discuss your circumstances or to obtain a quotation.
Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers advises that persons should not act on the material contained in this article as the items are of a general nature only and may be misinterpreted. We therefore recommend that advice be sought before acting in these areas.