the hurricane checklist
Have a team of handy/strong employees who can help your employees at their homes if necessary.
If you utilize bottle water dispensers, have plenty of fresh water on hand and a small generator so that you can
continue to dispense cold water.
Develop a plan for your replacement inventory; several dealers noted that it was important to remove their damaged
units before the new inventory can be brought in. It is important to have a plan because there will be a delay and
when you decide to return to sales, you may have insufficient inventory available.
Take digital photos of the damage done to your dealership. You may wish to take digital photos throughout your
office so that you can reconstruct your losses for your insurance company.
Follow a storm carefully with your floor planners and take particular care to work closely with all adjusters, as they
can be tremendously helpful in finalizing your losses.
Have cash available at a secure location as banks may be down and all ATMs will be unavailable.
Due to the extent possible, have gasoline reserves on hand if possible for generators and so that you can travel to
remote areas to locate certain services or dealership necessities.
Most dealerships had problems locating skilled labor to help with damaged roofs and other structural work. For
those with steel buildings, the need to contact contractors in advance is even more important as these supplies may
or may not be available.
Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) is pleased to provide these hurricane preparation tips gathered through our
visits with our members affected during past storms. For more information, visit www.flada.org.
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