Hurricane Prep- Full Transcript

Hurricane Prep Full Transcript

Speakers: Jeff (Host), Will (Salesman)

Hello, this is Jeff and Will with Crystal Clean. Today we're going to talk about hurricanes. Uh mid August here for you and I and we know we're technically in hurricane season. It starts in June. However, it seems like the hurricanes really come up on us out of the Atlantic around September and October. We've been hit hard through the years uh around that time frame. So, we want to talk about hurricanes. And Will, I'm going to pitch the first question out to you. How does Crystal Clean prepare for hurricane season?

Well, Jeff, I think the right staffing is key. You have to have enough crew to get the job done because there's going to be multiple different properties that are in need of our help. So, you know, with over 120 cleaning employees on our current roster, we do have dedicated pre-torm and posttorm cleanup teams, each one with an assigned site supervisor, a site lead to kind of oversee the whole operation.

Yeah. You know, under that, I also put a comment in storm watch. We first category of business is watch for those storms and there's always a couple people here that are diligently watching what's happening in the Atlantic so that we don't get caught off guard.

Absolutely. So Jeeoff, I'm going to kick it back to you. So why is it important to prepare early for a storm?

Yeah, it's important because uh the lifespan of a storm, it's interesting. Uh you can watch storms come around and then you're waiting to see if it's going to hit you specifically. So the more time you give yourself, the better. and knowing when you really need to engage. So, in order to allow us to come out and and prep accordingly, let's just say to uh to get your pool furniture out of the way, that's an easy one-day job on on most of our accounts. Uh so, you want to make sure that you do that at a time where you think that storm might be rolling in the next few days. So, now we're backing up the clock three, four days just to make sure we're ready for the storm.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and I I think conversely on the other side, if you wait too long, you know, that limits your resources, limits your vendor a availability, and it just uh it can cause some problems when you're in need the most, you know, when you're really in that pinch for for help.

Absolutely. So, Will, what supplies do you make sure you have ready for hurricanes?

Yeah. So, as a, you know, full-fledged commercial cleaning company, you know, we'll always keep the wet dry vacs, the the air scrubbers, the dehumidifiers, disinfectants you can get into, chemicals, mold and mildew removers, and in some cases, bleach to take care of anything unforeseen or that we already know about that's going to happen, whether it's exterior or interior of the facility, right? You know, I noticed uh in the past too, large trash containers, big widemouth shovels, like you'd mentioned the power wash equipment, the squeegees, uh floor fans for after the fact, and while we don't do remediation, you know, a lot of times we get into a floor that if we're quick enough and get the water extracted and put the floor fans out, we can still help. So, yeah, actually, uh, combined there's quite a bit of equipment there that we we prep. It sure is. So, Jeeoff, what do you and your team do when the storm is approaching?

A strategy session with operations is is what I like to start with. You know, our operational team, remember, every day we're out cleaning accounts, as in we have about 150 accounts that are recurring and ongoing. So, they have a lot happening already. Now, when it comes to hurricane season, usually we need more labor. So, it's fair to sit down and have a strategy session and say, "Hey, how are we going to account for more labor to very specifically go out and take care of the clients who do prepare in advance with us to make sure that we go help them batten down the hatches?"

Absolutely. That's great. All good stuff. All right. Next order of business, helping our customers prepare. So, Will, should homeowners take pictures before the storm?

100% true. This is going to work way better on your insurance claim. the adjusters will be able to see how it looked prior to and then after the storm and really make a good determination on what kind of adjustment, what kind of money and relief you're going to get for that. You know, all of it should be part of your overall plan and a hurricane prevention checklist, which stay tuned. We will have for you at the end of this session.

I agree. So, Jeff, uh you know, what should homeowners do to protect their property?

So, always secure any loose items outdoors. That's with hurricanes. Anything is subject to flying away or becoming a piece of debris that hurts your property or somebody else's. So, securing all the loose items is priority one. I think putting up shutters, making sure that uh your units, if they're condos or your home is shuttered up very good. And then move your valuables up. If there's any chance or risk of flooding, you may have valuables that sometimes sit on or near the floor. Move those up even if you're running away from the hurricane.

Yeah, I think those are all great things. Those are kind of the um instrumental items that you're going to need. You know, sandbags are always an option. Plywood boards, you can always get some duct tape and masking tape to kind of round out that those kind of pieces of equipment in preparation for the storm. Absolutely. So, Jeeoff, I'm kick back to you on employee safety. So, how do you keep your employees safe?

Yeah, good question. You know, there's a point where when a storm is decidedly coming towards us, uh they start to have the evacuation process and our employees are no different. We want to make sure that they're safe from the storm. And that's why, again, giving ourselves more time, like we talked about up front, allows our team to go out and help people prep, but to keep them safe, we also need them to take care of their families and their needs and be able to evacuate if that's the necessity. So, we try to make sure they're not out in the storm at any given time. From the time it really starts to come up on our shoreline until it passes over Fort Meyers, they're out of the equation.

Great. Safety first, always. Yeah. Uh, do your work crews work during a storm, Will?

Definitely not during the active peak of the storm. When we're in the eye, just like you said, safety first. They need to be home with their families protecting their their nests, protecting their homes and dwellings, making sure nothing's going on. But definitely not during the active peak. But once the once the storm kind of uh dissipates a little bit and it's safe to get back out there, at that point, we would deploy our crews. Yeah. Yeah. So, how about after the storm, Jeeoff? Uh what do we check first after a hurricane?

Well, we we check on our staff. We gather our troops. So again, you know, have another session with operations and say, "Okay, who is back in town? Who's available?" And we know the level of the storm makes the difference. You know, from the tropical depression to the category 1, two, three, four, five. So, how much damage is out there? Who can actually make it into work? What accounts we can get to safely where we don't have down power lines or trees keeping us or flooding? All those things have happened. And so we kind of have to make an assessment round one.

Yeah, I think all those things are key. You know, you you don't want to step up into something that could be unsafe and could possib possibly be deadly, you know, so you want to make sure that you're taking all precautions. Yeah. What are the biggest hazards you look for, Will?

You know, biohazards, uh, contaminated water, mold, and and growth, stuff like that. That's stuff that you need to nip in the bud right away because within 24 to 48 hours, that mold can start forming on any kind of a wet surface. So, you know, wildlife and pests can also be a nuisance because lots of times, uh, structural damages have have invited in the the pests and and other, um, non-welcomed visitors, let's say that. Yes. So, uh, what kind of cleanup is needed after the storm, Jeff?

You know what we've seen after a storm? Uh flooding seems to bring in especially you get out to our outlying areas like a Santael, Fort Myers Beach, Marco Island, uh sand becomes a problem because it's been washed up into people's exterior garages. So that's where those uh big garbage cans and widemouth shovels come in the power washing units. Uh as we start to get that cleaned up, then we look at carpet extraction because most of the condo buildings have lobbies and at a first floor lobby, they're more subject to the flooding. So, those are the areas that typically get hit first with our cleaning crew. I see. Great. [snorts] Any anything to add to that?

No, I just think uh all that stuff makes sense. I mean, I I couldn't agree with you more. That's 100% accurate. I I saw in my notes, too, the pool then becomes secondary. It's not first, but we also get back out of the pool area. Make sure we get the pool furniture out because sun is coming back around. People will play again in Florida after a hurricane. That's for sure. Uh, when do you think people should call Crystal Clean? With with everything we just talked about, do you have a timeline in mind that you think is good?

Well, you know, definitely I'd say in terms of the hurricane prep, right, we're talking about pre-torrm. I would say, you know, between five, six days before the storm hits would be ideal. Now, obviously, it doesn't happen that way and weather conditions change all the time. Maybe the storm was heading southwest and all of a sudden it made a little curveball. It's heading towards the Gulf Coast. So, we like to have about five or six days to deploy all our teams because there's quite a bit of business out here and we have a lot of coastal property. So, we want to make sure that we'd rather be ripe than fast and deploy all our teams in a timely manner and in a strategic manner. But when it comes to after the storm, just like you said, you know, it has to be safe to go out there for our crews and and cure all your furniture and get everything prepped for the storm, but then we'll be out there as soon as possible afterwards.

Yeah, true. With our clients uh that have been through this with us before, we know we already have a list started. That's right. Yeah, we do. We definitely have a a running list. So, let's talk a little bit about the cleanup. So, what equipment do you use for hurricane cleanup?

Yeah, you know, it's it's relatively low tech. Like I said, we come in prepared to the cleanup after a storm uh on the low end, like I said, is going to be shoveling off a lot of sand and getting loose debris out. We've come into parking lots that are just completely saturated. And so, while it's simplistic and low tech, it's a lot of work. And and one of the things we do very well is bring more labor when we need it. We just seem to have that capability I guess uh by design that uh we're able to come in with with day labor who's able to facilitate that kind of a thing. Then the power wash equipment usually is next. Yes. And then and then we come in with the the floor equipment where again if we need to extract or even just mop up water and get the the floor fans down for drying. That seems to be what happens most often after a hurricane.

Yeah, definitely. I think all those things come into play whether you're talking about the exterior structure and then going into the inside. I think you've basically covered it all. So, yeah, agreed. What areas do you think usually need the most attention coming off a storm?

I mean, definitely. I think the structural the walls, the the cracks, the foundations, I think are the the main ones that you need to hit right away because that one, if you don't take care of that right away, it can cause bigger bigger bad damage to to that property. So, I think foundations and the walls are things you want to check quickly, but also, you know, you make check for the windows, check roof lines, all that stuff. It's it's all one uh complete project, so you got to make sure to check it all.

Yeah. And you know, it's always a mixed bag of people that uh run away from a storm and stay away from a storm. A lot of times people want to get right back to their home though after a storm. And I will say, you know, in a tower situation, for an example, you know, the portico, uh if it's all cluttered up, we we try to make room for people to drive back to their units as quickly as possible. And again, that's why the the parking lots and the porticos and drive-throughs after a hurricane, they could be very messy. And so just bring in that labor to get rid of any type of debris. We're talking you big tree branches uh to things that get floated in from from excessive water like you said whether it's critters and or logs and rocks. We've seen it all.

Yep. It's big chunks at first. Similar to a post construction clean, it'd be big chunks first and then you go into the the the big meat and potatoes, the final clean and then a touchup afterwards. So yeah, you know, we want to help people get back to their normal day-to-day life. So, what can a community do to recover faster? Do you think, will

Yeah, I think as we've as we've mentioned a couple times during this uh session, you know, having a plan in place is going to be the ultimate in being uh recovering faster because, you know, playing catch-up is something that's going to slow down the whole process. So, a hurricane checklist should be in place and you should have the numbers on your speed dial to call pre posttorm, have all your vendors, have everything lined up. It should be a a scientific process to get through that.

Yeah, I like that. You know, I wrote down a single word, communication. It's kind of funny. We're talking about all the hard work, but the communication makes all the difference. When we know what you need, we can facilitate it better.

Absolutely. Jeeoff, how how does preparation make a difference?

I think it's it's just a a truth in life. You know, if we prepare for anything, it's going to pay off. And it's same is true with hurricanes. And I know they're tricky for all the reasons we talked about. You know, we we never know really where a hurricane is going to hit until that final they often say that final day, 24 hours, but even that is not true. It can be that last hour or two whether or not you know it's going to come into your community. Hopefully, you can come through that hurricane uh successfully and get things back in order quickly.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, it's family, it's loved ones. You want to you want to make sure to not only protect your investment, but protect your family because that comes first. I mean, always you need to make sure to stay safe through these these trying times and control the controllables, right? There's there's going to be curve balls. There's going to be pop-ups that nobody has in store what to do, but you can always take care of what you know. Yeah. You know, go with that. What's your biggest lesson ever learned, Will?

I would just say, you know, in terms of preparing for a hurricane that in the in the cleaning industry, just always have more supplies, more PPE, more scrubbers, more more pressure washing equipment, and more staff, right? You have to have it all because you think it's going to get into one thing and then the popups and the muck and the mold and the mildew and everything just adds up really quickly. It it's exponentially bigger than you may have thought. So, it's always good to have more. We have a whole warehouse full of supplies, chemicals, and we do have the right staff to do the job as well.

Yeah. Each year, the hurricane prep portion of our warehouse keeps getting more full and full. Right. So, I'm going to close off with this, Jeff. What should people do today to prepare for the next storm? Well, I'm going to steal a line from you, Will. This is it. The final answer. Keep crystal clean on speed dial.

Ah, yes. Absolutely. Well said. So, all that talk and conversation about hurricanes, uh, we were inspired and we made a hurricane preparation checklist. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Sure, Jeff. You know, it's it's for homeowners and it has a list of essential items to do. So, it's on a big checklist to do pre-storm, post storm, who to call, when to do it, how to protect your home, and make it safe. And you can contact Will or Jeff 239-936-7700 or go to our website, cleaningmeers.com, and we'll make sure we have a PDF downloadable copy for you. So, pre-torrm, posttorm, give us a call. We've got you covered.