Blizzards, hurricanes, fires and floods are costly disasters that can have a devastating impact on organizations with a lot of paper records. According to statistics from the Insurance Information Institute, insurance payouts in the U.S. for natural disasters totaled $15.4 Billion in 2014. Below are a list of tips of things to do in the event of a natural disaster:
Develop a Disaster Plan: The worst thing that can happen during a document disaster would be for your organization not to have a plan. Your company should create a basic disaster plan to offset substantial loss. A disaster plan should include information about all of your documents that includes location, size and format. Additionally, a disaster plan should designate roles and responsibilities determining who will be called in for which disaster; for example you might need to contact an emergency services contractor to bring in fans and dehumidifiers. These plans will optimize recovery efforts, saving your company time and money.
“No Touch” Policy: In the event of an environmental disaster, the effects of a disaster may mean that you don’t want to touch your documents. Following a disaster, it may be harmful and dangerous to search for, or handle documents. You don’t want to handle documents without proper protective equipment. It is a good idea to hire document recovery specialists to handle your disaster-ridden documents.
Document Restoration: Hiring a document restoration contractor will provide restorative treatment and physical recovery. A document restoration specialist will find documents and remove them from the disaster location. It is important to move quickly, as removing wet records as fast as possible will reduce the risk of mold.
Off-Site Storage: To avoid the risk of a Paper Document Disaster, it is probably a good idea to store your documents in an off-site storage facility. Off-site facilities generally have stronger security and protection features than an average office space. For example, Biel’s storage facility is disaster-resistant, protecting your documents from fires, hurricanes, blizzards and other natural disasters. Biel’s features fire and smoke alarms along with suppression systems to protect your documents.
Digital Conversion: One way in which you can avoid all possibilities of environmental disasters is through digital document conversion. Converting your documents to a digital format to be stored in the cloud will completely ensure that your documents are safe from natural disasters. Biel’s can help your organization achieve document conversion. For more information, contact us today.