Retail facility managers have a new tool to assess the status of stores following a natural disaster.
The Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) has released the “Natural Disaster – Initial Property Damage Survey,” a customizable template that can be used to determine the severity of damage and to prioritize recovery team efforts if multiple locations are impacted by a hurricane, earthquake, flood or fire.
The form includes preliminary questions about building accessibility and damage, and equipment. It also includes a place to record supplier company estimated time of arrival and much more. The form can be customized, and allows facilities managers to add or delete items on the checklist.
“So many natural disasters have occurred in the last few months, and we wanted to help our members be better prepared in the future,” said Bill Yanek, PRSM CEO. “This form will make it easy for FMs to thoroughly evaluate damage to their facilities and recover quicker.”
Recent major storms caused significant damage to retail stores, some of which are still assessing damage or recovering. In the U.S., it is estimated Hurricane Harvey caused around $1 billion in damage to retail stores across Texas and Louisiana, and Hurricane Irma caused nearly $2.8 billion to retail stores in Florida, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Bahamas.
