As a business owner in you want to make sure your building is safe, clean, and useful. Your building's interiors are not designed to withstand a lot of extra moisture, so the key to protecting them is keeping the moisture out. You can avoid most rain damage, even in the strongest storm season, by doing everything you can to make sure your roof and exterior walls resist leaks.

For storm damage to occur, three conditions have to exist:

• Cracks or openings in wall or roof
• Water present near the cracks
• Pressure forcing water into cracks
  
  

If you have weak spots in your roof, along the joints of your walls, or near your windows, it is likely that water will get into your building and cause some damage. If it goes undetected, an initially small leak can develop into flood damage or black mold growth that has to be remediated by mold mitigation specialists.


You can prevent rain damage by having a strong building envelope. Start by inspecting your building and making note of its current state of protection. Look for any openings where water could get in, such as cracks in the plaster, worn flashing or badly installed joints. It's important to identify problem areas so that you can get the necessary repairs done.

Once you know where flood cleanup is likely to be necessary should heavy rainfall occur, you know exactly where to make reinforcements. Consider adding an extra layer of protection on your roof. Check your drainage system to make sure water flows directly into it and away from your building. If possible, recess your windows.

Excess moisture can cause a lot of problems in your building, especially if it is hidden from plain sight. While a little storm cleanup may be necessary with vicious storms, you can prevent most rain damage by upgrading your building's protection.