5/31/2006

 Royal Plus stresses hurricane preparedness
By Bob Lassahn

With the Atlantic Hurricane Season looming large on the horizon Royal Plus Disaster Kleenup, a local network member of Disaster Kleenup International hosted a business after hours hurricane preparedness discussion at Castaways Restaurant in Ocean City during the evening of May 24. The event coincides with Hurricane Preparedness Week, designated this year as May 21-27.

Attendees included representatives of local government such as Mayor James Mathias, County Commissioners Sonny Bloxom and Judy Boggs and Snow Hill Police Chief John Groncki, as well as local business owners seeking information. Following introductory comments from Mayor Mathias a presentation by Greg Frith of Fireservice Disaster Cleanup in Fort Meyers, FL provided background on previous disasters and a warning that the hurricane season for 2006 is predicted to provide above average activity.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs through November 30, with August and September typically the most active months. The outlook calls for a very active 2006 season with between 13 and 16 named storms and eight to10 hurricanes, with four to six major hurricanes (category three or greater) in the mix.

The prediction for 2006 is a continuation of above normal activity that began in 1995 and is part of a “cycle” that could continue over the next several years. Most forecasts see the Northeast U.S. as ripe for a visit from a strong storm.

The good news is that forecasters anticipate fewer land falling intense hurricanes than in 2005, deemed the costliest, most destructive hurricane season ever for the U.S. The 2005 season spawned 26 named storms, 14 hurricanes and seven intense hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh named storm, fifth hurricane, third major hurricane, and second Category five hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It claimed a spot as the sixth strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and ranks as the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.

The message stressed in the two-hour seminar was to prepare. The standard warnings of having an emergency kit, supplies, plan of action and heeding warnings from authorities were all there. But according to Matt Odachowski of Royal Plus a commercial enterprise also must prepare an emergency response plan to deal with the aftermath of a storm and get the business up and running. The caution offered is that many services will be stressed and unless prior arrangements exist with a vendor getting the building cleaned, repaired and opened for business may become a daunting task. Royal Plus and other disaster cleanup specialists will work with a business to develop an emergency response plan.

Information to assist in developing am emergency plan is available from numerous sources. The Worcester County Department of Emergency Services has a Family Emergency Preparedness Guide available at county offices and libraries. The National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov) also provides on-line information to assist in creating a personalized plan of action.

For a business owner, once the family is provided for, there remains the issue of a plan for the business itself. Documents, photo/video inventories and most importantly a plan to bring essential employees back once the danger has passed. Without prior planning some enterprises may never recover from the disruption to business resulting from a natural disaster.

History has taught that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By understanding vulnerability and what actions should be taken, the effects of a hurricane disaster on the family, home and business may be reduced.

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