Marina Dock Age

The BoatU.S. guide, What Works, A Guide to Preparing Marinas, Yacht Clubs, and Boats for Hurricanes, provides facilities with specific guidance about hurricane preparation plans. It includes tips about:

• Evaluating your marina—What is the storm-worthiness of your facility? Areas to consider: natural barriers that offer protection, the height of the facilities above the likely storm surge, the type of docks, and the age and condition of boat storage racks.

• Developing a Hurricane Plan—Every plan should account for the boats, docks, equipment, buildings, office, and office supplies. Put together a “Hurricane Team” – a list of former employees or boat owners who might be willing to assist your staff with hurricane preparation. Figure out exactly how many boats can be hauled in an hour, and with limited time to haul, prioritize which boats will be pulled first.

• Things to do in the off-season—Make sure the marina has the essentials for preparing for the storm and surviving afterwards, such as emergency generators and fuel, plywood, nails, flashlights, communication radios, batteries, and yellow caution tape. Make sure rental agreements spell out the boat owners’ responsibilities in the event of a hurricane, and review agreements with vessel owners every year. Finally, write down your hurricane plan, post it on your Web site, and include it with all rental contracts.

• At the start of hurricane season—Update all contact information for vessel owners. Take photos of facilities, inventory, machinery, and valuable tools for insurance purposes.

• When a Hurricane Watch is posted—Contact your Hurricane Team and review assignments, and contact vessel owners and remind them of their responsibilities. You may want to contact a rental truck agency and a storage facility in the event that you’ll need to evacuate computers, office equipment, and paperwork.

• When a Hurricane Warning in posted—Hook up and test emergency generators. Always respect city or county mandated evacuations, and finally, shut down electricity and water on the docks.

• During a hurricane—Good luck.

• After the hurricane—Rig oil containment boons around sunken boats, and photo document damage. Begin debris clean up and make two piles – debris that is reusable and debris that will be hauled away. If you must do any rebuilding, keep customers and suppliers apprised of your schedule.

For sample hurricane preparation plans from specific marinas and boatyards, visit www.boatus.com/hurricanes/marina_plans.asp.