Hurricanes

Develop a strategy

The best defense against a hurricane is being prepared and following issued warnings and instructions. When a watch is issued, closely monitor local weather reports, news stations, and the National Weather Service (weather.gov) to determine the direction of the storm and any advisory or mandatory evacuation orders from public emergency management officials. When deciding to close your facility, keep in mind the extended time needed to prepare your facility and for employees to evacuate. Staff should not be allowed to stay on site unless approved by local public authorities, and they can be protected from intense winds and potential storm surge flooding. To better prepare your facility consider:

Assess facility vulnerabilities and business continuity

• Months before each hurricane season begins (June 1st – November 30th), you should assess the vulnerability of your facility to wind, storm surge, tidal surge, heavy rainfall and sustained wind speeds up to or in excess of 155 MPH.
• You should assess your personnel needs and determine what additional staff will be required, and confirm the availability of employees. Allow employees time to prepare their homes for the storm and to safeguard their families. Keep in mind that traffic congestion will greatly increase the time necessary for travel – especially as the storm approaches. 
• Make sure your employee lists are up to date, so you can contact staff after the storm. Provide a telephone number for employees to call for information. If possible, arrange with local radio stations to broadcast information to your employees and inform your employees what station to listen to.
• Protect, back-up and relocate vital records as necessary. Consider use of off-site or cloud storage.
• Regularly inspect all fire protection equipment to ensure it is in full service.
• Ensure documentation of your property, such as video recordings and pictures of buildings, business personal property inventories, are up to date and accessible in the event of an evacuation. Your agent is a great resource to understand what might be necessary to help with documentation, if you should need it.

As hurricane risk increases

• The National Weather Service (NWS) will announce both hurricane watches and warnings and your organization should monitor them closely. A watch means that hurricane conditions are possible – but not imminent. A warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within 24-36 hours. Whenever the NWS issues a hurricane warning, Emergency conditions should be declared by your organization.
• Arrange in advance for procurement of equipment, supplies, and contractors from firms located well outside the immediate area for cleanup, repair, and restoration of buildings, equipment and stock. Ensure that you have updated lists for each vendor. Establish mutual aid agreements with other company facilities outside the storm’s potential impact area.
• Physically check all emergency and communications equipment including generators, transfer switches, lighting, portable pumps and radios. Test all and ensure that generators will start automatically and power transfers properly. Check oil levels and fuel tanks and fill to capacity.
• Address access to your site after the storm. This may require contacting public authorities for official identification badges to enter a restricted area. Identify vital records (papers, electronic data, etc.), make backup copies, and or relocate to a location not exposed to the hurricane or to a cloud storage service.