We’re not in Kansas anymore: How a CMMS can help you navigate tornado damage

Acts of nature can tax the ability of any good facility maintenance crew to maintain operations and safeguard the conditions of the buildings and vehicle fleets in their purview. In many cases, tornadoes cause a wide range of damage, from leaks and blown-out windows to roofs being stripped or worse, total building collapse.

Effective management of tornadoes requires M&O managers to react quickly to events before, during and after their occurrences. That’s no small order, though.

Fortunately for managers in high-risk areas, having emergency preparation programs in place can ensure efficient emergency response and that recovery operations go smoothly.

But preparation is only half the battle regarding tornadoes impacting your facility. Having the right systems is more important than ever to ensure proper response to tornado events.

Tornadoes sweeping the nation

While there have been record-level increases in the overall number of tornadoes worldwide, the U.S. experiences around a thousand each year — far more than any other country in the world. What is clear is that "tornado season" has become year-round. The rise in events has left many regions, including the Midwest and Southeast, more susceptible to tornadoes. Some key recent data to demonstrate the impact:

• According to a study by ValuePenguin examining data from the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) over the past decade, tornadoes have caused $2.5 million in damage per storm, totaling more than $14.1 billion.
• Accuweather reported that total damages and economic losses resulting from the historic tornado outbreak in 2021 amounted to $18 billion, the costliest year for tornado damage in U.S. history.

Tornadoes contribute to significant economic losses for organizations, resulting in the destruction of assets and lost income.

With the potentially devastating impact tornadoes can cause, M&O managers need to prioritize establishing disaster response and recovery plans as much as preventive maintenance programs.

Your best way to batten down the hatches

Since M&O managers may have minimal warning of impending tornadoes in their areas, a CMMS system will enable them to know the condition of their assets at all times to prepare as best they can.

A robust CMMS solution makes inspections before and after an event easier to conduct because they have access to the data off-site. Having up-to-date remote access to information on the condition of assets enables M&O managers to know which assets are at most significant risk, quickly make preparations and determine the impact of damage after an event — in the safest way possible for their teams.

With all that data available remotely, a CMMS allows for a faster response to damage. This capability can potentially reduce the impact of that damage and give M&O teams the appropriate data to prioritize repairs on damaged assets and get operations back on track.

CMMS: putting the spin on decision-making

The data pulled from CMMS software has two advantages: quickly identifying storm damage and making the best decisions.

A best-in-class CMMS should help organize the maintenance function for facilities by:

• Automating work functions such as work requests, work orders and rounds
• Scheduling work-related tasks such as preventive maintenance, inspections and repairs
• Using the work history to form a complete database of all assets
• Generating an inspection checklist that can be used for emergency planning

With the threat of tornadoes rising in areas throughout the U.S., the right CMMS solution can mitigate the risk of asset damage.

Create better outcomes for your facility. Our CMMS software can help M&O managers move away from relying solely on reactive damage repair to include proactive maintenance.

For more information on your tornado preparedness checklist with CMMS, download our Emergency Preparedness Checklist. But to learn more about how a Brightly solution can revolutionize your emergency preparedness, schedule a personalized demo.

Need help with preparing for a different type of natural disaster? Check out our blogs on hurricanes, floods, and fires.