Coinciding with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s hurricane preparedness week, waterfront towns and boating businesses are learning how to better prepare their local boating community, according to the Boat Owner’s Association of The United States (BoatUS).
“In the aftermath of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, orphaned boats littered the streets around Staten Island, New York’s Great Kills Harbor, hindering the cleanup and delaying the return of electrical power,” BoatUS said in statement.
“Keeping boats better contained in Sandy would have sped recovery efforts on every front,” the association said, adding, “To help do a better job preparing for this hurricane season, Boat Owner’s Association of The United States 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. This 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. This 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 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 firsthand how better storm preparation can keep boats from drifting away and reduce damage,” the association said.
