Tucker Paving has been in the asphalt and concrete paving industry in Central Florida for over 25 years, so we are no strangers to the havoc a natural disaster like a hurricane can wreak on a construction site. Storm surge, rain, and high winds can all cause a significant amount of damage to a construction site. Exacerbating the problem is the unfinished nature of a construction site, the large amount of materials that are usually found that can be turned into projectiles in high winds, and utilities that are more exposed than in finished construction. See what should be on your to-do list for your construction site after a storm has passed.

What to Do After a Hurricane Hits the Construction Site
Having a Hurricane Recovery Team should be part of your company’s overall plan for preparing for and dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane. Your company’s plan should include having a team for preparing the construction site for an oncoming storm and another team—the Hurricane Recovery Team—to deal with the aftermath of a storm. Steps the Recovery Team should take include:

  1. Assessing damage after a safety all-clear. Once it is deemed safe for people to travel to and visit the construction site, the Recovery Team should visit to take an assessment of the damage and formulate a plan for recovery. The team should look at standing water, debris, and the instability of anything that has already been erected, and the status of machinery, tools, and materials.
  2. Plan for water removal. Having standing water on a construction site is dangerous for numerous reasons, including posing a danger to workers and materials, it softens the ground and the fact that the water could be polluted.
  3. Check for unseen hazards. The Recovery Team should also check for leaking gas lines, look for downed power lines, and ensure fire protection systems are in working order, if applicable.
  4. Clean up and resecure. The Recovery Team should clean up any dangerous debris and resecure any materials, machinery, or tools that became exposed during the storm.
  5. Call back the crew. Lastly, there should be a process in place for calling the construction crew back to work once the site is safe, clean, and secure.

Contact Tucker Paving online, or call us at (863) 299-2262, for assistance with your next asphalt or concrete paving project!