In January 2024, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Director Dawn Brantley released a statement discussing the steady increase in what are being termed ‘gap disasters’. A gap disaster is a weather-driven event that causes extensive damage yet does not meet the required degree of devastation to qualify for federal assistance. The data shows that these type of events are numerous and increasing. However, the state’s ability to respond in a way that helps homeowners and business owners recover quickly is limited.
What does this mean for small business owners? One immediate takeaway is the importance of knowing the full extent of the insurance policies you have in place. Knowing what kind of damage is covered and what to do in case of emergency is not something you want to learn after the emergency has happened. If you don’t know what would happen if a flood, tornado, wildfire, blizzard, or other event impacts your business, make a commitment to yourself to find out before the end of this month.
Now obviously our wheelhouse is commercial glass replacement, here in Halifax. And if you’re a small business owner, you should know that it’s your storefront windows and doors that often bear the brunt of the weather’s worst wrath. Wind is incredibly powerful and has the ability to propel debris through cinder block walls – so it’s not surprising that windows get broken.
Once the storm has subsided and you know your people are safe, the next step you need to do is call your insurance company and secure the broken windows. You’ll often see people doing this with plywood. The best commercial glass companies can help you with this step as needed.
After that, you’ll need to have the damage assessed to discover what type of repairs need to be done. Sometimes it’s an issue of glass replacement, in which your commercial glass service replaces the broken glass with glass of the same type and appearance that was there previously. In cases where the damage is more extensive, such as twisting or breaking the actual frames the windows sit in, commercial window replacement may be the best option.
Are your storefront windows broken after the storm? Click here for help.
