Ottawa/Gatineau Tornado Update

We’re Thinking Of You.

We hope you, your family and staff are all okay after the tornado that hit Ottawa/Gatineau last night. Our thoughts are with you if you’ve suffered any damage or tragedies.

If so, you’re probably overwhelmed with responsibilities. After ensuring that your family, friends, and staff are safe, you may need to deal with property damage. For this reason, we’ve included a list of tips that might come in handy to help you get your business back up and running.

• Be careful during any cleanup – wear thick-soled shoes, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and work gloves before entering your property.
• Save phone calls for emergencies as service may be limited. Use text messaging instead.
• Don’t enter damaged buildings until they’ve been deemed safe to enter by local authorities.
• Exercise extreme caution when walking through the damaged property. Avoid electrical wires that may be strewn about.
• Don’t use any spark-producing equipment and don’t smoke as there may be flammable gasses or liquids in the area.
• Don’t turn on any utilities without coordinating with your utility companies.
• Take photographs and videos of any damage and make a list of materials and labour you use to repair your property for insurance purposes.
• Request an advance payment from your insurance company to help you resume business operations.
• Track the hours your employees work to mitigate damage as opposed to their normal duties for insurance purposes.
• Contact government agencies for assistance and inform them if you will be undertaking any major restoration plans.
• Notify your clients, vendors and other business associates of your circumstances and maintain transparency as you restore operations to their fullest.