With FEMA’s Hurricane Preparation Week upon us (May 24-30), waterfront towns and boating businesses are learning how to better prepare their local boating community. In the aftermath of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, orphaned boats littered the streets around Staten Island, New York’s Great Kills Harbor, hindering the clean up and delaying the return of electrical power. Keeping boats better contained in Sandy would have sped recovery efforts on every front. To help do a better job preparing for this hurricane season, Boat Owner’s Association of The United States (BoatUS) has some no-cost, downloadable hurricane prep guides to help boaters, marinas and boat clubs.
They include:
- Boater’s Guide to Preparing Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes available at www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes/boaterprep is a boater’s guide and has the details on protecting your own boat as well as a marina.
- What Works: A Guide to Preparing Marinas, Yacht Clubs and Boats for Hurricanes available at www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes/ycmarinasprep is a resource for marina and boat club staff, community resiliency managers and local government that focuses on preparing boating facilities.
Local emergency managers, marina or club fleet operators can also download at BoatUS.com/hurricanes a sampling of marina hurricane preparation plans to see how their local marinas compare, learn about the value of strapping down boats stored ashore, and view features on why some marinas fare better than others. If a storm approaches, the website also offers up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite images, as well as checklists for what to do before and after a hurricane strikes.
Much of the information comes from BoatUS and its Marine Insurance Catastrophe Team, which over the course of 30 years has seen first hand how better storm preparation can keep boats from drifting away and reduce damage. Go to BoatUS.com/hurricanes for more.
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About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):
BoatUS is the nation¹s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS insurance program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.