Hurricane Preparedness: Keeping Job Sites Protected

Storm season is here in full force, and hurricane preparedness is crucial. With weather experts anticipating a more active season than usual, are you — and your job sites — ready? Although it’s impossible to anticipate exactly what Mother Nature will throw your way, a bit of advanced planning now can make all the difference when a storm’s rumblings make their way to the Gulf. Read on for useful tips you can put to work to keep your people, equipment and sites safe as storm season rages on.

Have a Hurricane Plan in Place
Backup batteries, bottles of water and organized escape routes don’t just make sense at home. They’re a great way to ensure your business is ready for whatever lies ahead, too. Gather your team together to work through various “what-if” scenarios, and to ensure everyone is on the same page. Is your crew free to leave if evacuation orders come into play? Will you office off-site if issues such as power outages arise? Does expensive equipment — or valuable information — need to be moved someplace safe? If you wait until the last minute to broach such topics, chances are important details will slip through the cracks.

Keep Communication Front and Center
Communication is key when it comes to safely overcoming emergency situations. At the same time, it can be exceedingly difficult. Establish who should be checking in with who among your team members. Not only that, but talk through when and how those check-ins should happen. Will phone calls suffice? Should leadership aim to meet in-person at a predetermined location? What happens if cell phone service breaks down? Remember to factor clients in, too. They’ll want to know about potential changes to their timeline or overarching projects.

Regularly Assess — and Address — the Situation
The idea that the only thing constant is change is especially true amid hurricane season. Potential storms forming far out in the water can dissipate or change course — while seemingly innocuous formations can become full-blown hurricanes. Make it a point to pay attention to forecasts, and to put your hurricane plan wheels in motion when the need arises. Don’t forget your individual job sites. If your team has been digging in on construction work, there’s a good chance you have expensive vehicles and equipment off-site. Assign crew members to travel to those locations to keep both your property and the site itself braced for the storm.

We hope these tips help your crew bring hurricane preparedness into focus, and stand ready for whatever the season might bring. If you’re looking for more information, FEMA’s Ready Business Hurricane Toolkit is a great resource. Of course, we’re always happy to help, too. Feel free to contact our crew at any time.