Moving hundreds of vehicles in a single day takes a ton of manpower, but following the plan gave us the ability to orchestrate all of it in a way that would be almost impossible otherwise.”
– Alex Blade, Blade Chevrolet’s controller/treasurer
Why every dealership needs a weather preparedness plan.
Alex Blade, of Blade Chevrolet, and Justin Bartlett, Ally Dealership Insurance Loss Prevention Manager, explain how a detailed vehicle mobilization plan turned a potential severe weather disaster into a resounding success.
Saving Dealership Inventories from Disaster
In December, the Skagit River in Washington state crested, threatening historic flood damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure in the region about an hour north of Seattle. Blade Chevrolet, in nearby Mount Vernon, lay in the projected flood zone, so dealership leaders activated their flood avoidance plan and relocated 428 vehicles to higher ground.
While coordination wasn’t easy, the dealership moved 100% of its inventory, making the plan a resounding success even though the dealership never flooded.
In 2025 alone, weather and climate disasters caused an estimated $115 billion in damage and 276 fatalities.1 And dealerships are no strangers to weather damage. Each year severe weather causes massive inventory damage from hail and floods, leading to rising insurance premiums and significant operational downtime.
Developing Detailed Severe Weather Plans
“Blade Chevrolet’s ability to move its inventory quickly highlights the need for dealerships to have preparedness plans that are ready, tested and current,” said Justin Bartlett, Loss Prevention Manager for Ally Dealership Insurance (ADI).
Prior to the storm, Blade Chevrolet took critical steps to develop a plan including:
- Appointing a storm coordinator and team to execute the plan
- Having the storm team evaluate both on-premises and off-premises areas for vehicle relocation
- Established relocation routes
- Developing a workforce mobilization plan so the dealership could execute the move, and everyone knew their role
Being prepared can make a big difference in the losses experienced in catastrophic weather, according to Ally’s Barlett.
Dealerships should look for storm experts that can help them plan for storms and can offer several resources to keep dealerships employees, inventories and property safe. For instance, Ally has a weather team that continuously monitors extreme weather events and alerts dealerships when risks are identified, and Ally will reimburse dealers up to $25 per insured vehicle moved to safety.
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