Hurricane season coincides with some of the most popular months for golfing. This makes it critical for golf course operators and owners on the coasts and nearby to prepare effectively against the storms. Hurricanes bring with them flying debris and floods which are deadly and destructive for golf courses.
A well-run golf course should have proactive and practical controls in place to minimize damage from hurricanes and other natural disasters. This would mean skillfully managing insurance, physical controls and preparedness plans.
Preparing a Disaster Plan
Disasters can either affect a small local area or extend out and reach several miles around. Either way, it is important to know if the incoming storm will affect your operation. This is a great way to prepare an effective disaster plan where you can minimize loss of assets and revenue.
You need these principles to form a practical and effective disaster management plan:
1. Preparedness
Preparedness requires being ready for the approaching storm well before it starts showing its effects in your region. A formal program should be created to ensure that the business facility, employees and assets are well-protected. Careful planning is the key for successful preparedness against hurricanes. Creating an operations-designated emergency preparedness team will help reduce the overall losses associated with a storm.
The main elements of this pre-planning stage include:
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Assigning specific responsibilities to designated individuals, such as tracking the storm, communicating with emergency services, protecting important assets, etc.
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Allowing a few employees access to the alarm system and having a weather app downloaded on their phones.
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Discussing ways to reduce business disruption, especially with vendors. For instance, you can decide the most likely obstacles in resuming business after the storm has passed, such as debris removal, flooding relief, etc.
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Keeping storm gutters and downspouts clean.
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Evaluating your insurance coverage to decide if it would be adequate to cover potential loss.
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Reviewing tips for worker safety before recovery operations.
2. Response
This stage involves activating life-saving protection and property preservation procedures. The specific type of response depends on the type of storm, whether it is moving slowly or approaching fast. In most cases, buildings are evacuated for large sized storms and hurricanes. Usually, a responsible individual is assigned the task of staying at the club or golf facility. However, this needs to be done after getting approval and permission from the local authority.
Some of the principles of response in case of storms include:
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Assigning responsibilities to the designated teams.
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Removing outdoor fixtures (such as golf flag sticks, signage, patio furniture, etc.) which can get damaged from high winds.
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Shutting down all non-essential utilities and mechanical equipment.
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Removing landscaping that can get damaged by strong winds, such as dead limbs, coconuts on trees, etc.
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Securing or removing rooftop fixtures, such as satellite dishes and antennae.
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Don’t drain the pools completely but make sure to close the skimmer valve to avoid damaging the water pump when the power is switched back on.
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Switch off all electricity to the pool and add extra chlorine to prevent contamination of the water.
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Boarding windows and putting sandbags in entryways, whenever possible.
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If there is risk of flooding then make sure to place items off of the ground including pesticides to avoid accidental discharge.
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Shutting down all non-essential utilities, such as gas.
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Taking down removable canopies for safe storage.
If your golf course is located in the famous “tornado alley” region then make sure to construct storm shelters.
3. Recovery
Recovery activities include things that help to control and disaster’s impact on the business, in terms of safety and health.
The basic steps for golf courses to recover after a hurricane include:
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Assessing the damages once life safety is ensured. It is advisable to record or photograph damaged property to ease insurance claims process. You do not need to worry which aspects are covered under insurance at this point in time.
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Examining all natural gas lines, electrical systems, maintenance equipment, fluid transfer operations and building structures by qualified professionals before service is resumed.
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Quickly repairing any damage to firefighting equipment and putting it back into service should be a priority. If you need to shut down a building’s sprinkler system then you should inform local authorities and the club’s insurance agent beforehand.
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Tracking all expenses related to losses, including employee hours, debris removal, remediation and additional expenses should also be calculated.
Checklist for Hurricane Preparedness
Here’s a complete checklist you can follow in even of a hurricane hitting your golf course:
Before the storm:
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Prepare a timeline and watch for storm warnings
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Inform employees of preparedness plan for the storm and keep them updated with current details
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Create evacuation plan
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Develop employee safety plan
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Inventory equipment and insured assets by taking photographs
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Take aerial shots of the golf course along with the maintenance facility and pump house
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Remove structures that may hinder floodwater from draining off the property
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Plan for gas procurement
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Arrange for recovery teams
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Pump down water levels
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Shut down irrigation systems
During the storm:
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Plan for return of first responders
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Create employee safety and return plan for secondary teams
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Take care of county and state coordination issues beforehand
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Remedy communication issues, if any
After the storm:
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Evaluate sites with priority on recovery
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Start maintenance facility
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Ensure worker safety
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Arrange worker accommodation, meals, supplies, etc.
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Prepare extensive clean-up plan
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Take care of insurance, loss and replacements issues
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Take photographs of damage and track labor hours on clean-up accurately
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Create plan for removal of debris and damaged trees from the property
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Request government clean-up assistance
Golf courses are expensive to maintain and as an owner you want to avoid additional cost of recovering from a storm. Hence, follow these simple yet effective guidelines for hurricane preparedness for golf courses to ensure safety of your course and employees alike. You are also legally responsible to ensure the safety of your property and employees in an event of a hurricane striking your region.
Relying on DTE Golf® for hurricane preparedness not only ensures the safety of your golf courses but also provides peace of mind, allowing you to focus on playing safe and securing your courses during adverse weather conditions.
