A Lesson in Damage Control
By Mandy J. Kimmer, APR, CPRC, FPRA Orlando Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Hurricane season has just begun…are you prepared at work?
I recently learned a valuable lesson in damage control. At the Orange County Parks and Recreation Administration building in Barnett Park, construction on the building’s roof had been ongoing for a few weeks. When a heavy rainstorm hit after midnight on March 8, water backed up in a drain and puddled above my second-floor office and burst through the ceiling, mostly around the edges of the walls. Fortunately, security staff saw it on the internal video feed and had Facilities staff immediately on site; they moved my laptop and covered the two computer screens, but paper items on my desk and several cardboard boxes on the floor already were soaked. A cup on a shelf captured about three inches of the deluge as it came down the wall.
My college diploma and treasured FPRA APR and CPRC certificates took in water through the bottom front of the frames – luckily, the matte absorbed the moisture, and photos of my sons were just damp; but with the water came residue that left crusty streaks on everything, including my wooden Tampa Chapter President’s gavel plaque. The hallway outside my door, the graphics office next mine and closet across the hall also had wet carpet and wall board, as well as soggy boxes and paper materials.
I was shocked when I came in to work that morning but with my co-workers help, everything – including a shelf, a large file cabinet and various decorative things tossed into boxes – was moved from my office to a large cubicle down the hall in just a few hours. I made that cubicle my work space for the next few weeks, requiring my phone calls to be routed to a different number and having only one of two computer screens. The damage repair company soon arrived to set up blowers and block off the area. I separated and air-dried papers and photos as needed, and eventually replaced the matte in my diploma frame and thoroughly cleaned the other awards.
Suggestions for being prepared:
Have a detailed plan in place for one or the entire office to relocate internally or externally.
Keep paper files in drawers or cabinets, even for on-going projects; archive important papers and photos digitally.
Frame valuable certificates, awards and art professionally so items are well protected; keep a scanned color copy of each for your records.
Invest in quality plastic storage boxes or stacking drawers that seal tightly but allow access as needed.
Flooding can soak carpets or be several feet deep, so consider where items are kept; furniture is likely to be damaged.
Cover your desk with a tarp or large trash bags if a severe storm or hurricane is approaching.
Keep staff cell numbers in your phone with a printed copy in your car and at home.
