The Atlantic Hurricane Season starts on June 1, and most storm forecasters are calling for a busy year with many storms and a higher-than-average number of strong storms. Being prepared is key to weathering a tropical storm or hurricane, and it’s not just homeowners who need to be ready if a big storm hits. Preparing your construction site for a hurricane is important to minimize damage and liability if a strong storm makes landfall. See the recommendations for securing your construction site ahead of a hurricane or tropical storm.

Preparing Your Construction Site for a Hurricane
Being prepared for a big storm minimizes damage to a construction site and reduces a construction company’s liability. Both save time and money, allowing construction to resume faster after a storm has passed. It’s advised that a construction company write a Hurricane Preparation Plan before any storm is near that outlines what must be done to prepare and who is responsible for doing it. This may also include working with local building departments.

Your Hurricane Preparation Plan should include:

  1. Securing the job site. Materials, machines, and tools must be secured or removed so that they do not become airborne in the high winds of a tropical storm or hurricane. Include any signs, construction fencing, trash, dumpsters, and portable bathrooms in the plan.
  2. Secure paperwork like plans and other documents, and electronics, in a safe location.
  3. Protect in-progress utility systems from sand and water, both from rain and storm surge.
  4. Cut power to the site and enact plans for utilizing power generators and fuel after the storm.
  5. Enact plans for water removal, such as placing pumps in basements or excavations so they are ready to go as soon as it’s safe.
  6. Remove or secure hazardous chemicals as construction companies are on the hook for cleanup if any hazardous chemicals make it into the environment.
  7. Ensure the security of buildings or structures. Take steps to make sure your construction projects and adjacent buildings are boarded up and secure.

Remember to assess the damage to your construction site after the storm has passed with extreme caution.

Tucker Paving has been in the asphalt and concrete paving industry for over 25 years in the Sunshine State, and serving Central Florida for over 50 years, so we’ve seen our share of major hurricanes! Contact us online, or call us at?(863) 299-2262, for assistance with your next asphalt or concrete paving project!