Welcome to Hurricane Season 2011. With the temperature pushing 100 degrees, no rain in sight, and what may be the first tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico later this week, it feels like we are already in the middle of the season. Let’s start with the predictions for this hurricane season:
· Colorado State University (Klotzbach – Gray) – 16 named storms, 9 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes, 48% change of a major hurricane hitting in the U.S.
· NOAA, a Division of the National Weather Service – 12 to 18 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes, 3 to 6 major hurricanes
· Florida State University – 14 to 20 named storms, 8 to 10 hurricanes
The consensus is that it should be an above average year for hurricane activity, even compared to the average activity since 1995 when the current major hurricane activity era began. Interestingly, the Colorado State team reported conditions this year are very similar to those of 1989, which of course produced Category 4 Hurricane Hugo in September of that year as the last major hurricane to hit Charleston.
Now forget everything I’ve written up to this point. Because these forecasts, while interesting, are not all that important when it comes to preparing your business, your home, and your family. The number of hurricanes that form this year isn’t all that relevant to those of us living and working along the coast. The relevant figure is the number that actually hit our area. And since no one can accurately predict where a hurricane will hit (or when), we must prepare as if we already know a hurricane will impact our area this year.
Following are some key questions to help you begin the process of creating or updating your hurricane plan. These questions can be grouped together using the Four P’s of Preparedness that I have discussed in previous posts.
People – How will you contact all your key employees, vendors, and customers during and after an evacuation? Will you pay your employees during an evacuation, and if so, will it count against their vacation, sick, or other emergency time off? What do your customers expect from you during a hurricane evacuation? What can your vendors do to help you?
Place – Where are you going when it’s time to evacuate? How will you get there? Where will you stay? Who is coming with you? When will you leave? Do you have a place to operate long-term if your primary location is damaged severely? How will people contact you while your business is closed or while you are out of town?
Property – Is your insurance policy updated for the value of your contents? Do you have the right documentation to file a claim if necessary? How much will you need to recover from a major hurricane hitting our area, and will it all be funded by insurance or will you need a line of credit or other financing?
Processes - How will your critical computer systems, such as e-mail and your website, function during a hurricane? Do you have solid back-ups in place for all your critical data? How much downtime can you afford? Are your critical processes documented and cross-trained to alternate staff? Can they be done remotely?
It’s only the beginning of June, so there is still plenty of time to answer these questions and get a plan in place before the peak of hurricane season starts around August 15. The good news is that many of these questions apply to other business continuity scenarios, so you’ll be on your way to planning for more than just hurricanes.
Don’t worry about the forecasts. Plan as if a hurricane is going to hit us this year, and then pray that it doesn’t happen.
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