Hurricane Safety: What Your Business Needs

Preparing for Hurricane Dorian With The Right Solutions

Hurricane safety when facing down a major storm is a big concern. Preparing your home and business for flood or wind damage will ensure you are able to pick up day-to-day activities when the storm passes.  Hurricane Dorian is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane, and you want to make sure your business is prepared to face its effects. Storm surge, localized and widespread flooding, and high wind speeds will whip through Florida cities. If you don’t have the right hurricane safety essentials, you could be left with incredible damage.

The National Hurricane Center reports that regardless of Hurricane Dorian’s exact track, heavy rains are expected to occur over several days, which can result in widespread flooding. Tornadoes are another issue when planning for this hurricane safety because they often occur in the rain bands away from the center of the storm. Having a plan when storms strike is just as essential as having the right solutions when Hurricane Dorian is in your own front yard. Keep reading for essential hurricane safety supplies.

Large and Small Flood Protection Walls

With hurricanes comes storm surge, rising canal waters, and torrents of falling rain. Preparing for the possibility of rising flood waters means keeping in mind what areas of your business or home are most flood-prone. Depending on what kind of flood protection your home or business needs, you might choose different types of flood protection walls. For heavier flood protection, flood barriers are ideal. For smaller-scale flood protection, sandbags would be a better choice.

Emergency Water Storage  and Fuel Storage

Having access to reliable emergency water storage could mean the difference between life and death. Water supply provides access to drinking water and non-potable water for cleaning, other daily activities, and even fire suppression. Hurricane safety means prepping enough water and fuel before the rains come.

Water storage bladders can be made with fabrics that satisfy NSF61 and FDA requirements for potable, drinking, emergency water storage. When needing to safely store temporary drinking water for a group of people, having flexibility in water storage capacity is important. Hospitals, nursing homes, and shelters will need a viable water storage solution when storms come. Barbados hospitals and other organizations are maintaining 50,000 gallon water tanks for use during Hurricane Dorian for emergency water storage.

Having a tough, rugged flexible fuel tank is ideal when facing down a hurricane. Stationary fuel storage during an emergency is absolutely necessary. Our flexible bladders can range in capacity from 25 to 210,000 gallons. Flexible fuel storage is useful in disaster relief, fuel storage in remote locations, and FEMA emergency relief efforts.

Following a Step-by-Step Hurricane Safety Plan

Having a ready supply of hurricane supplies with the right plan will make sure your business and home are prepared for the worst possible scenarios. Flood protection walls, emergency water storage, tarps, and drip diverters are all part of a bigger plan to keep your business and home safe from Hurricane Dorian. Visit our Emergency Supplies page for information on the essential supplies needed for hurricane safety.

For even more comprehensive information on prepping your business, visit FEMA’s  Business Protection Toolkit to learn how you can practice hurricane safety before, during, and after a hurricane.

Call us today at 1-772-646-0597 and ask to speak to a hurricane preparation specialist. 

Hurricane Tracking and Preparation with New Forecasting Tools

Hurricane Tracking in the Atlantic

Forecasting Severe Storms in Real Time to Better Prepare for Them

Hurricane activity in the Atlantic is supposed to be near-normal this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

    

NOAA used hurricane tracking to predict 9 to 15 named storms in 2019, 4 to 8 of which could be hurricanes, and 2 to 4 of which could become major hurricanes.

 

But, can NOAA's hurricane forecasting be improved upon? With the right information, sure it can.

With more up-to-date information, NOAA’s ability to predict storms will improve and, in turn, the public’s ability to prepare for storms will improve as well.  

Preparing for storms well in advance is one of the best ways to survive them. Knowing how to prepare and what hurricane supplies are needed is also important.  With NOAA’s forecasting systems getting new information soon, knowing when to prepare for future storms will be essential.

But, what are these changes to NOAA’s forecasting system and how do they work?

Changes to NOAA’s  Global Forecast System are coming in the form of six new satellites that will orbit the earth’s equator.

This system of six weather satellites is called COSMIC-2, or the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate.

It’s part of a join effort between the U.S. Air Force, NOAA, Taiwan’s National Space Organization, and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, built on the success of the COSMIC-1 program, launched in 2006, which established a climate change thermometer and a global weather forecast.

How NOAA Tracks for Hurricanes

This system of satellites will better track hurricanes around the equator where they are first formed. COSMIC-2 will use radio occultation data to improve weather forecasting models.

How does it all work? Radio occultation is the measurement of how radio waves from global positioning systems and constellations bend as they move through the atmosphere.

GPS satellites circle the equator and send signals down to receivers on earth. Because the density of the earth’s atmosphere changes with height, these signals get distorted along the way. COSMIC-2 hurricane tracking satellites measure the bend in those signals before they’re cut off by the horizon.

These measurements that COSMIC-2 satellites take give scientists real-time information on temperature, pressure, density, and water vapor, all of which are valuable data that scientists can use to track hurricanes.

At a glance, COSMIC-2 satellites measure these in the atmosphere:

•          Temperature
•          Pressure
•          Density
•          Water Vapor

Preparing for Hurricanes Before They Strike

Making sure your business is fully equipped to safely ride through a storm is essential. Once COSMIC-2’s information is up and running, meteorologists will have a better idea of when severe weather will strike, but you can start preparing for hurricanes now. 

Hurricane essentials for businesses are:

• Potable water
• Back-up fuel supply
• Flood protection
• Durable tarp covering

Potable Water Storage During Hurricanes

Clean drinking water is usually the first thing everyone puts on their hurricane supply list. That’s because having a supply of clean, potable water for everyday needs is essential. When dealing with the after-effects of a storm, having an emergency water storage tank can be a life saver.

Bladder water tanks are built for safe water storage with durable fabric that meets FDA potable water requirements. GEI Works’ Mars Water Bladder Tanks range in size from 25 gallons to 210,000 gallons.

The emergency water storage onion tanks are easy to set up and made with durable fabric. GEI Works’ Hydrostar Onion Tank can be custom-made with fabric suitable for drinking water. Onion tanks are self rising, self supporting, and fold easily for convenient storage. Low side onion water tanks range from 250 to 10,000 gallons, and high side onion water tanks range from 500 to 10,000 gallons.

Frame tanks are also a valuable tool for water storage. GEI Works’ Centaur frame tank can be quickly set up and filled with water for emergency storage. Having a water storage tank with a liner made with FDA approved materials for potable water is essential. Frame tanks like these range in size from 500 to 5,000 gallons.

Tarp Protection from Wind and Rain

Protecting materials during a hurricane means covering equipment like dumpsters, dump trucks, and secondary containment vessels against rain, wind, and flying debris. GEI Works’ tarps are water proof and leak resistant and can be made in customizable sizes to protect valuable equipment.

Flood Barriers for Storm Surge Protection

Hurricane-force winds bring with them rising oceans and flood waters. Using a flood barrier to protect against flash floods and hurricane storm surge offers higher protection as opposed to smaller sandbags.

GEI Works’ flood barriers can be filled with sand, gravel, or even concrete. Using bulk bags for flood protection is a viable choice for flood protection, as bulk bags offer a larger line of defense than sandbags.

Fuel Tank Preparation during a Storm

Having gasoline is essential during times of severe weather, when generators, vehicles, and other machines might require it. Once the storm has passed, gas trailers might not be able to get through to replenish stations if roads are blocked and power lines are down.

Being  able to store fuel safely on your property will save worry in the long run . A collapsible tank for stationary fuel storage solves this problem. Flexible  fuel tanks come in small and large sizes; smaller bladders come in sizes from 25 to 5,000 gallons and larger bladders comes in sizes from 5,000 to 210,000 gallons.

Looking Forward to New Information in Hurricane Tracking

The COSMIC-2 satellites launched last week on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. Once in orbit, the satellites will be tested for seven months before any data are used in weather models. COSMIC-2 will also fly two space weather science payloads: a radio frequency beacon transmitter and an ion velocity meter to gather even more information.

COSMIC-2 information at a glance:

• Comprised of six hurricane tracking satellites orbiting Earth's equator
• Measures changes in atmosphere
• Gives real-time data to scientists for hurricane tracking

The technology for predicting natural disasters won’t stop them from occurring, but it will make it easier to know when they’re coming. However, we already know the best time to prepare for a storm is now.

Bolstering  Hurricane Forecasting

The information provided by these satellites will help meteorologists and scientists better observe and track hurricanes, typhoons, and other destructive weather systems.

In recent years, in the U.S. particularly, hurricanes have wreaked havoc. Costly hurricanes, like Harvey, Maria, and Irma just in 2017 alone, slammed into the coasts, causing damage with wind, storm surge, and flooding further inland.

Knowing what’s coming will help, but being proactive about hurricane preparedness is the best possible plan.

Have questions about how  you can better prepare your business for hurricanes? To learn more about GEI Works, contact us at +1-772-646-0597 to receive one-on-one assistance with all your hurricane season preparedness needs.

The Midwest Floods of 2019

Preparing for the Worst by Learning from the Past

Spring flooding in the Midwest has caused incredible damage to cities, towns, and agriculture, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimating $37.3 billion in damages. The catastrophic floods in the Midwest and Plains states, reminds us of the Great Flood of 1927 and 1993. But we’ve learned that it’s the conditions and preparation that precede the flooding that determine how much damage will go unstopped.

Potential causes of massive flooding:

• Snowpack and frost
• Moisture level in soil
• Streamflow and precipitation

These factors are all potential contributors to flooding. Precipitation in seven of nine Plains and Midwest states during fall of 2018 outweighed precipitation during fall of 1992. Similarly, eight of nine Plains and Midwest states had a wetter winter during 2018 and 2019 than in 1992 and 1993.

As the soil becomes saturated, it has trouble absorbing heavy rainfall, causing runoff into creeks and rivers.  As the rivers fill up, the potential catastrophic floods increase.

In 1993, a cluster of large thunderstorms, known to meteorologists as mesoscale convective systems, dropped an incredible amount of rain on the Midwest and Plain states. Conditions for rainfall like this most often depend on air temperature.

Surviving a Flood

Three lives have been lost due to the flooding in the Midwest this year, according to NOAA’s weather and climate disaster table of events. The Department of Homeland Security has tips for facing floods natural disasters.

• Always evacuate if you are told to
• Don’t drive around barricades
• Stay off bridges
• Avoid contact with flood water
• Move to higher ground

The time to prepare for a flood is now. Know the flood risks in your area, make a plan, and subscribe to your community’s emergency warning system. Learn evacuation routes and plan ahead to protect your home and businesses.

Proven Solutions When Stormwaters Rise

According to NOAA , while states in the upper Mississippi and Missouri River basins (Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa), are at risk of flooding, states in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River and portions of California and Nevada are also at risk of minor floods.

Landslides, erosion, and overflow of water systems are all potential effects of large-scale flooding. Sediment left behind as a result of flood waters, reduces water quality affecting the water supply.
Flood waters can also contain debris and nutrients, which can affect the water quality, encouraging the growth of algae.

Controlling sediment dispersion with a turbidity curtain helps to control erosion, blocking sediment and protecting wildlife and surrounding vegetation. Curtains like this are used to keep bodies of water silt free and keeping the quality of water high.

Needs can vary when protecting your home or business from the effects of flood water. Contact GEI Works at +1-772-646-0597 to receive one-on-one assistance with all your flood prevention requirements.