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Floodwaters carrying silt and debris have taken a toll on factory floors and storefronts as well as private homes. As the waters subside, businesses all over the Houston area are starting to total up their losses. And property damage is only part of the problem.
“The biggest thing that we’re seeing with business owners right now is just loss of use [of their businesses],” says Gabriel Lugo, the director of franchise operations for 911 Restoration. “They’re basically closed until the water gets out of their properties. You know, there’s some issues with electricity in certain parts of town that we’re seeing right now. We’re also seeing issues where the water levels are so high that people can’t even get into certain parking lots.”
Tenants in industrial parks have been particularly hard hit.
“The ones that would be affected the most would be the small manufacturing companies,” says James Evans, president of Evans Business Advisory Services, based in Sugar Land. “We’ve got a lot of oilfield services companies that make specific instruments that are going to be affected because they couldn’t get people in to start making things today.”
Evans says businesses should take Monday night’s storm as a warning to make sure their emergency plans are in place before the Atlantic hurricane season starts in earnest next Monday.
