Your 72-Hour Storm-Damage Timeline at a Glance

Use this as the master sequence. Some actions will overlap, and a serious safety condition can override the schedule entirely.

0–2 Hours: Protect People and Control Access

Wait for safe access

Don’t assume a building is safe just because the exterior looks intact. Floodwater, downed power lines, damaged service equipment, unstable materials, broken glass, gas leaks, and concealed electrical hazards can all change the risk. If emergency officials or qualified professionals restrict access, follow that restriction. Entergy’s storm guidance says downed lines should always be treated as energized and dangerous. (Entergy storm safety guidance)

Where flooding is involved, the National Flood Insurance Program likewise advises waiting until it is safe to return and taking added care around electricity and gas. That guidance is flood-specific, but the broader rule applies after any severe storm: safety comes first, and documentation waits until access is safe. (NFIP recovery checklist)

Establish one incident record

Create a single incident file before calls, texts, photos, invoices, and vendor conversations begin to scatter. A shared cloud folder, property-management system, or organized local folder can work. The important part is that one person owns the record and that filenames, notes, and approvals can be traced later.

• Property name and address; date and approximate time of loss.
• Known affected areas and areas that remain uninspected.
• Who is authorized to approve emergency work.
• Emergency services, utility, insurer, vendor, tenant, and owner contacts.
• A running decision log: what was decided, by whom, when, and why.

2–6 Hours: Document the Damage Before Conditions Change

Take photos and video of the property before cleanup or repair changes the evidence, as long as it is safe to do so. Louisiana Department of Insurance guidance tells policyholders to document damage before cleaning up or making repairs, and NFIP guidance gives similar instructions for flood losses. (Louisiana Department of Insurance) (NFIP damage documentation)

Photograph and video systematically

Don’t rely on a few dramatic photos. Capture enough context that someone who was not on-site can understand the location, scale, and relationship between damaged areas.

• Start with exterior wide shots: rooflines, elevations, storefronts, loading areas, signs, fences, parking areas, drainage, and visible debris.
• Move room by room or zone by zone using the same direction each time.
• Take wide shots first, then close-ups of specific damage.
• Record water lines, staining, openings, displaced materials, damaged equipment, and visible contents loss.
• Capture manufacturer labels, model numbers, and serial numbers for affected equipment when accessible.
• If a condition changes after temporary mitigation, take clear before-and-after photos.

Record tenant and operating impacts

For a commercial property, the physical damage is only part of the operating picture. Record which suites or common areas are inaccessible, which utilities are unavailable, whether entrances or parking are affected, what tenant operations have stopped, and which conditions are still unknown. Keep observations factual; don’t promise a reopening time before the relevant inspections or repairs are complete.

2–6 Hours: Notify the Insurer and Record the Claim Contact

Contact the property insurer or insurance agent as soon as practical after the loss and ask what the policyholder should do next. Have the policy number (if available), a high-level description of the damage, and current contact information ready. Keep the claim or reference number and log each conversation with the date, time, person, and key instructions. (Louisiana storm-recovery guidance)

If flood insurance is involved, NFIP guidance says to report the loss to the insurance provider as soon as possible and to document the flood damage promptly. Flood policies have their own procedures, so keep flood-claim instructions separate from wind, property, or other coverage questions. (NFIP start-a-claim guidance)

Avoid making coverage assumptions in your incident notes. Record what the insurer, agent, or adjuster tells you, but treat policy interpretation as an insurance or legal function—not a contractor decision.

6–24 Hours: Stop Additional Damage Without Erasing the Evidence

Storm recovery often requires two things at once: preserving the record of the loss and keeping the loss from getting worse. Louisiana Department of Insurance guidance tells policyholders to make necessary temporary repairs and keep receipts, while also documenting damage before cleanup or repair. (Louisiana Department of Insurance) (NFIP document-damage guidance)

Keep receipts and a disposal record

Keep receipts for emergency materials, labor, equipment, drying, temporary protection, and other storm-related expenses. Before discarding damaged materials, photograph them and follow insurer instructions; items that create a health hazard may need to be removed sooner. For flood claims, NFIP guidance specifically recommends documenting damage before disposal and keeping samples of certain damaged materials when practical.

6–24 Hours: Verify Every Vendor Before Work Expands

A storm can compress normal procurement into a few hours. That makes written verification more important, not less. Before a vendor moves from emergency stabilization into a broader repair scope, confirm who they are, what they are authorized to do, what they are charging, and who on the ownership side can approve the work.

• Legal business name, primary contact, and current insurance information.
• Required state or local license/registration for the work being proposed.
• Written description of emergency work already completed and work still proposed.
• Pricing basis, equipment charges, after-hours rates, material markups, and payment terms.
• What is temporary versus permanent work.
• What demolition or disposal is proposed before the insurer or owner’s other professionals inspect it.
• Who can authorize change orders or expanded scope.

In Louisiana, the State Licensing Board for Contractors provides real-time license verification by contractor name, license number, license type, location, and other fields. The Board also advises storm-affected property owners to verify contractor licensure before signing a contract or making payment. (LSLBC Verify Licensure) (LSLBC Weathering the Storm)

Keep professional roles separate

Louisiana law specifically prohibits persons performing contracting services from interpreting property-insurance policy coverage or duties and from adjusting a property claim as a public adjuster. Louisiana also requires a license to act or hold oneself out as a public adjuster. (La. R.S. 37:2159.1) (La. R.S. 22:1693)

24–48 Hours: Dry Wet Areas and Bring in the Right Specialists

Treat moisture control as time-sensitive

If materials are wet, start drying as soon as it’s safe to do so. EPA guidance says wet materials should be dried as soon as possible, ideally within 24–48 hours; CDC storm guidance likewise tells people to clean and dry or remove wet items within 24–48 hours to help prevent mold growth. This is a practical drying target, not an exact clock for when mold begins. (EPA indoor-air guidance) (CDC storm drying guidance)

For a commercial building, the response may require more than fans and dehumidifiers. Water can travel behind finishes, into insulation, under flooring, through ceiling systems, or around equipment. A qualified restoration professional can help determine what is actually wet and what can be dried in place versus removed.

Assess building systems before reopening affected areas

Bring in the right specialist for the condition instead of asking one vendor to make every call. Depending on the damage, that may include a licensed electrician, roofer, structural engineer, HVAC contractor, plumber, building-envelope specialist, environmental professional, or commercial restoration firm. Don’t re-energize or use visibly storm-damaged electrical equipment just because power is back on at the site.

24–48 Hours: Give Tenants a Clear Operating Status

Commercial tenants need useful operating information, not optimistic guesses. A short status update should separate what is known from what is still being assessed.

48–72 Hours: Turn the Emergency Record Into a Recovery Plan

Consolidate the damage scope and open decisions

By this point, the owner file should tell a coherent story: what happened, what was damaged, what emergency measures were taken, what professionals have inspected the property, what tenants can and cannot access, and what decisions remain open. If that story is scattered across texts and vendor calls, consolidate it now.

• Confirmed damage by building area or system.
• Unknown or uninspected conditions that still need investigation.
• Temporary mitigation already completed and any monitoring still required.
• Permanent repair scopes requested or received.
• Insurance contacts, claim/reference numbers, and outstanding document requests.
• Permit, preservation, or other regulatory questions.
• Tenant-access and business-operation impacts.
• Owner approvals needed in the next 24–72 hours.

Compare repair scopes, not just prices

Two proposals can have similar totals and still describe very different work. Before choosing a permanent repair path, compare what each scope assumes about demolition, drying, materials, code requirements, permits, equipment, access, exclusions, warranties, and hidden-condition allowances. A low bid that leaves out scope isn’t a true comparison.

New Orleans and Louisiana: Four Checks Before Permanent Work Moves Forward

The national sequence—safety, documentation, insurance notice, mitigation, drying, vendor control—still applies in New Orleans. Local requirements come into play when emergency work starts turning into permanent construction.

If You Own the Property From Out of State

Absentee ownership adds one risk after a storm: decisions can be made locally before the owner sees the same evidence. The solution isn’t more calls. It’s a tighter chain of documentation and authority.

• Name one local incident lead and one owner-side decision-maker.
• Require a video walkthrough with location labels before broad demolition or repair scope is approved.
• Use a shared incident log for photos, invoices, proposals, tenant updates, and insurer communications.
• Set spending authority for emergency mitigation separately from permanent repair approvals.
• Require written scopes and before/after documentation for work that changes the condition of the property.
• Schedule a short decision call around open issues instead of handling each vendor question separately.

For New Orleans owners who need ongoing local coordination beyond the immediate storm response, LaNasa Realty’s commercial property management services include maintenance coordination, inspections, vendor management, and oversight of repairs or renovations.

What Not to Do in the First 72 Hours

• Do not enter a restricted or obviously hazardous area just to get photos.
• Do not dispose of damaged materials before documenting them unless health, safety, or local requirements make disposal necessary.
• Do not assume the policy covers a loss, repair, or mitigation expense because it seems reasonable.
• Do not let emergency stabilization quietly become a large permanent repair scope without written authorization.
• Do not accept a contractor’s interpretation of insurance coverage as a substitute for the insurer, licensed public adjuster, or legal counsel.
• Do not re-energize visibly damaged electrical systems or equipment without appropriate evaluation.
• Do not promise tenants a reopening date before the conditions and required professional checks support it.
• Do not assume storm repairs are permit-exempt or that historic-property rules disappear after a storm.
• Do not compare contractor proposals by bottom-line price alone.

By Hour 72: Your Owner File Should Be Ready for the Next Phase

The goal at 72 hours isn’t to have every repair complete. It’s to have enough reliable information to make the next decisions without recreating the first three days from memory.

A Practical Next Step for New Orleans Commercial Owners

Once the immediate response is under control, the work shifts to coordination: inspections, maintenance, vendors, tenant communication, repair oversight, and the owner decisions that keep a commercial property moving. LaNasa Realty provides commercial property management in New Orleans for local owners, investors, trusts, and absentee owners who need that ongoing operational support.

Sources

• Louisiana Department of Insurance — Storm Recovery Guidance
• National Flood Insurance Program — Start a Claim
• National Flood Insurance Program — Document Flood Damage
• National Flood Insurance Program — Flood Recovery Checklist
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Biological Contaminants and Indoor Air Quality
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Dry Off Wet Items After a Storm
• Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors — Verify Licensure
• Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors — Weathering the Storm
• Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:2159.1 — Contracting; prohibited acts; property insurance
• Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1693 — Public adjuster license required
• Louisiana Department of Insurance — Producer and Adjuster License Application Information
• City of New Orleans — Renovation (Non-Structural) Permit
• City of New Orleans — Certificate of Appropriateness (HDLC)
• City of New Orleans — Vieux Carré Commission Application Process
• Entergy — Storm Safety Guidance