Hurricane season is in full swing. Although June and early July are usually quiet in terms of major storms. If your production activities will take you into 'hurricane country' during the season, now is the time to make sure you are prepared.
As Director of Risk Services at CMM Entertainment, my job is to help our clients identify, control and manage risk. One of my specialties is dealing with the potential effects of hurricanes. Oover the last 19 years, I have helped many clients deal with this risk and have overseen evacuations of film and tv productions in the paths of hurricanes in places like Cancun, New Orleans, and Sea Island,Georgia.
The first thing to consider is how likely is it that a hurricane could affect your shoot? The coastal United States from Texas to Maine is theoretically at risk from hurricanes during the season - June through October. Hurricanes can and have occurred outside these months but are pretty rare prior to June or after October. It is also unusual to have major hurricanes impact coastal areas north of Virginia, though some historic storms have impacted Long Island and points north.
In terms of likelihood and severity, the main areas of concern are the Gulf Coast from Texas through Florida and the Atlantic coast from Florida to North Carolina. The more active months are August and September, especially for the Gulf and southern Atlantic coast areas.
Vulnerability of the area: It is important to remember that most deaths in hurricanes are from storm surge, not from wind. So if your location is a barrier island that is only a few feet above sea level, the risk is much greater than it would be on the mainland with greater elevation. Are you directly on the oceanfront or in a more protected back bay area? Can your hotel withstand high winds and storm surge?
Access: How easy or difficult will it be toevacuate in the event of a hurricane watch or warning? This is an important consideration in your planning as it will help determine your time-line for beginning the evacuation process. A major film client of mine was filming on Jekyll Island, Georgia a number of years ago. There is one bridge between the island and the mainland. As part of the hurricane contingency plan I prepared, I talked with the local emergency management people about evacuation protocols. They told us that our trucks would have to be off the island 36-48 hours before projected landfall as the bridge would only be used to evacuate people in the last 48 hours and our equipment trucks would have to be left behind if they were not off the island by that time.
Having a Plan: The key components in your plan are - protecting your people, protecting your equipment, evacuation and return and resumption of filming. My article Hurricane Contingency Planning for Film and TV Production (available to clients) outlines in detail how to prepare a plan and manage resumption of operations but here are a few highlights:
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Prepare and maintain a list of all personnel including name, phone numbers, hotel information, emergency contacts and vehicle details.
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Set evacuation parameters. My rule of thumb is you CAN ride out Category 1 and 2 storms if the location can withstand the surge and accommodations are strong enough to withstand those wind forces. Category 3 and above you run from. Determine how far ahead of landfall you need to begin evacuation - this will be affected by the quality/capacity of roads and the population in the area. When setting the time-line for beginning evacuation remember that you do NOT want to get caught by the storm along the evacuation route. Talk to locals about the time it will take to reach your evacuation site and remember that it might take 8 to 12 hours to go 100 miles...
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Identify inland evacuation sites. How far inland you have to go depends on the size/strength of the storm and other factors such as elevation. For example, if low-lying land/swamps continue inland for a significant distance, you may have to travel further to escape storm surge and flooding. This is especially true in areas of Louisiana, Georgia and Florida.
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Establish a point person outside the hurricane area to handle inquiries from family members and provide updates on the evacuation status.
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Identify where your vehicles will go. For larger productions with lots of vehicles, you may need a large lot. Locate and secure lots at your inland evacuation site.
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Make contingent reservations for accommodations inland. By the time an evacuation is ordered or even appears likely, rooms far inland are usually booked solid. Pick your inland hotel, let them know how many rooms you will need and you can often get them to give you first shot at holding the rooms in an emergency by giving them a small deposit.
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Resumption. When you return will be affected by many factors - clearing roads, restoration of utilities, etc.
The Right Adviser: Having the right advice makes all the difference. CMM understands the business of production and will be your insurance advocate and help manage your risks. To learn more, contact me at +1 818 224 6142.
