What Self-Storage Operators Can Do Before & After Natural Disaster Strikes

Natural disasters may be unpredictable, but we all know they’re coming at some point. Take hurricane season. It comes every year from June through November, but you never know exactly when, where, or how hard a hurricane will hit. Just last year, Hurricane Helene made landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast and Carolinas as a Category 4 hurricane causing millions in damage to self-storage businesses in the region. But what if there were better ways to weather the storm, be it a hurricane, flooding or even a facility fire? Here are steps you can take to prepare and protect your facility before and after disaster strikes so that your business and tenants are up and running in no time. 

Prepare Your Facility

The first step is to ensure that your facility is built to withstand a disaster, beginning with the materials used for the structure itself. Reinforced concrete is an ideal way to fortify your building against the punishment of flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. And concrete requires less overall maintenance and may extend your facility's longevity and long-term viability. 

Another area that can be beefed up to prepare for the unexpected is your doors. Hurricane doors are wind-load rated, heavy-duty doors designed specifically to protect buildings against various wind-related environmental hazards, from tropical storms and hurricanes to wind damage and airborne debris. At Janus, we have several wind-load rated doors that offer protection for your facility. 

Prevent Unnecessary Damage 

One of the best ways to mitigate damage at your facility, especially from water, is to ensure that it’s properly maintained. A regular maintenance schedule reassures that any issues can be caught early and addressed immediately, potentially preventing larger problems later. This regular upkeep could include maintenance like ensuring all drains are working properly and monitoring the seals of all doors and windows.

And at Janus International, we now offer top experts in the self-storage business to provide facility maintenance services that are the perfect way to keep your site in ideal condition—and better prepared if disaster should strike. With proper mitigative and predictive measures, you can rest easier knowing you’re doing all you can to protect your facility.

Protect Your Investment 

In the event of a disaster, there are many steps you’ll take to protect your employees and tenants during the emergency. After the fact, how quickly you’re able to respond with the necessary repairs and replacements is also crucial. 

With Janus International’s breadth of solutions and services, you can provide tenants with a rapid response to repair any damage to protect their property, which in turn protects your investment. 

• The Facilitate division provides a complete maintenance program for minor and major fixes. 
• The R3 division helps you restore, rebuild and replace everything from storage unit doors to ceilings and entire units at your facility. 
• Movable Additional Storage Structures (MASS) are relocatable self-storage units that can be on-site and ready to rent between 30 and 45 days from ordering, so you’re operational more quickly after a natural disaster.  
• BETCO professionals bring more than 40 years in the self-storage industry to refurbish and repair any level of damage to your roof or other areas of your storage facility. This is especially important to avoid water penetration that leads to far more damage down the road.
  
  

Prepare. Prevent. Protect. 

Whether you’re facing facility fires or wildfires, floods, mudslides, snowstorms, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes or other disasters, following these steps will help you properly prepare your facility, possibly prevent unnecessary damage, and protect your customers’ property and your investment. 

Are You Prepared?

You can be. Contact us to learn more.