Plan a Business Move During Hurricane Season

We ask for the backup date at the same time as the main one, because a landlord’s freight elevator and loading dock may already be booked for the following weekend by other tenants. Both dates go on the insurance certificate request if the building ties the certificate to a date. If a storm approaches, the decision to move to the backup belongs to you and the two buildings; we confirm crew availability and adjust the load order as soon as you tell us.

Summer brings its own schedule even without a named storm. Afternoon thunderstorms are routine from June into September, so we start early, load electronics and paper first, and aim to have the truck closed before the usual afternoon build-up. Heat inside a parked box truck climbs fast, which is another reason computers ride last on and first off.

Packing ahead only helps if the packed rooms stay usable, so cartons go in labeled stacks inside your suite, clear of doors and sprinkler heads, and never out on a covered walkway where rain blows in. Each carton carries its destination room number, so if the move slides a week, nothing needs to be relabeled.

On the day, wet ground is the usual problem. We lay floor runners at both entrances, keep door mats changed, and wrap upholstered and wood pieces before they cross a wet lot. Electronics travel in wrap and blankets, stacked away from the truck doors. If rain starts mid-load, we pause at the door rather than carry cartons through it, and resume when it passes, drying the floor before the next cart rolls.