Whether you’re leasing one car or a fleet of vehicles, you — and your customers — must be prepared for the unexpected. In the summertime (and beyond), particularly in coastal areas, that means you need to take into account hurricane season and its associated risks.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 – Nov. 30, and scientists at Colorado State University are predicting this year’s storms to be slightly above average. They forecast 14 named storms, half of which they predict will become hurricanes, and three reaching strength of Category 3 or higher.

Just as the meteorologists keep tabs on hurricanes, you’ll want to put them on your personal radar. In short, you should keep your eye on the eye of the storm, especially while your renters are on vacation. Make sure your know the destination of your renters and contact them if there are hurricane warnings. In terms of auto insurance, for adequate protection you should recommend coverage that includes “acts of God.”

Have a plan of action ready PRIOR to the threat of a hurricane or severe weather. Here’s what you should do to protect your assets:

• Start putting your Emergency Preparedness Plan into effect as soon as you become aware that the storm is headed your way. Today’s prediction abilities usually give several days advance notice of the most likely areas to be hit.
• If you are in a flood-prone area, make sure your plan includes getting your vehicles to higher ground.
• With heavy rains, make sure the placement of your vehicles is on solid ground so they don’t get mired down in mud.
• If you are in a hail-prone area, is there a covered area to place your vehicles?  Or can you cover the vehicle in a way to minimize damage? Example: cover windshields or areas that are vulnerable to breakage.
• Hurricanes produce high winds. Get the vehicles out of harm’s way of potential flying debris, trees or unstable objects that may become a damaging projectile. If your vehicle is an RV (motorized or towable) make sure all slide outs and awnings are pulled in and all stabilizer jacks are down to help avoid overturning.
• Take steps to make sure none of your active rentals or reservations for that time period is headed for the hurricane zone.
• Make sure you have additional drivers / tow vehicles available to help you enact your protection plan.

Remember, you need to protect your assets, but this should be done well in advance. Then you have time to take care of your personal wellbeing.