If your business has lost power during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey, you aren'talone: Power and utility companies in Texas reported up to aquarter million customers have gone without electricity at somepoint as a result of the storm, with several thousand homes andbusinesses still without power as of Tuesday morning.

And with extensive flooding likely to hamper repair and recoveryefforts, long-term interruptions are likely for many businesses.Here's how you can limit the effect on your operations and bottomline:

Policy service interruption-related requirements

It's vital for businesses to execute their business continuity plans and takeemergency measures to address power loss — for example, making useof batteries and backup generators if safe to do so, and ensuringthe safety of employees through evacuation plans, contingency workplans, and other means. But it's also important to understandany service interruption-related requirements in yourinsurance policy.

Your property insurance policy may provide coverage in the eventof an extended power outage — which could be 24 hours or more,although this varies by policy. Coverage may include:

• Service interruption property damage: Costsassociated with damage to property arising from loss of a utility(for example, damage to temperature-sensitive property as a resultof refrigeration being lost).
• Service interruption time element: Lossesdirectly arising from extra expense or business interruption.

In addition to power loss, other covered service interruptionscould include gas, water, garbage removal, and telecomservices.

But coverage will only be triggered following a covered event,such as property damage to a utility that provides service to yourorganization's location(s), as defined under the policy.

Unique documentation

In order to properly file a claim, you will need to provide yourinsurers with specific information regarding:

• Distance limitations: Serviceinterruption coverage grants often specify that the cause of lossmust be within a certain number of miles or feet of an insured'spremises.
• Overhead transmission and distributionlines: Many policies exclude losses arising fromoverhead lines. Without jeopardizing employees' safety, it's vitalto quickly identify and document the true nature of your serviceinterruption, including the type of equipment that was damaged andthe specific cause of damage.
• Waiting periods: Most serviceinterruption coverage requires a waiting period, or a minimum timeof interruption — typically 24 to 48 hours — before coverage willrespond. It's important to provide your insurer with a clear andaccurate timeline of your disruption.
• Notice to the utility: Typically, aninsured is required to notify its utility of any interruption. Ifthis requirement exists in your policy, be sure to document thenotification.

Power outages and other interruptions are an unfortunate realityin the wake of any storm. Regaining service and recouping your losswill be essential to your recovery from Harvey. Work with yourinsurance advisors to best ensure your claim proceeds quicklyand efficiently.

Robert O'Brien, managing director of Marsh USA, Inc. isa senior property claims officer of Marsh's National PropertyClaims practice. This article first appearedon Marsh.com and is reprinted here with permission.Visit the Marsh Risk in Contextblog for the original post.