24 Jun ARCSI Community Connection: A Hurricane’s Wrath Didn’t Crush this Cleaning Company
Natural disasters can hit at any time – sometimes without even a moment’s notice. ARCSI member and residential cleaning company owner Stephanie Nesseth can attest to that. Last year, Stephanie Nesseth, owner of Absolutely Clean in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was hit by an inland hurricane on August 10, 2020 at about noon. Her family, friends, and colleagues were blindsided by a storm that produced wind gusts up to 140 miles per hour.
“We had no notice,” Stephanie said. “The sirens went off – we didn’t even know why the sirens were going off. It was horrifying.
“It took two days for us to get out of our neighborhood,” she recalled. “We had no cell service. No power. There was no way to call anyone. It was just a very scary situation.”
The building that Stephanie’s business was in no longer exists – there was no way to save the building with the damage to it. Stephanie feels that fate held a hand in her team’s survival, saying that she had given her team the day off. If not, they could have been in the building, leaving them injured or worse.
Natural disasters are one of the many things you cannot “schedule;” however, there are many things you can do in advance to prepare. Listen to Stephanie’s story and how her business has survived this disaster.
Also, watch for a special column in the July/August issue of ISSA Today from Laura Bianachini at Moody Insurance Worldwide on how you can be prepared for a disaster.