…Dorian was just the beginning.
In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, it’s not hard to forget that we are in the middle of hurricane season right now. However, we aren’t just in the middle, we are at the peak. From mid-August to late-October is when hurricanes increase in number and intensity, so we still have a month and a half of serious hurricane conditions, followed by another month of the regular season.
What hurricane season means
A lot of the effects of hurricane season are obvious; delayed shipments, closed roads, even truck damage. But this is when truckers and their support teams shift from just product haulers to lifesavers.
Before, during, and after a hurricane, people need bottled water, non-perishable food items, plywood for boarding up windows, sandbags for barricading doors, and blankets for protection. Truckers are the ones that get those supplies where they need to go. Hurricane Dorian didn’t make landfall in the continental United States until September 6th, but FEMA began brokering loads of bottled water and survival materials from all over the southeast and mid-Atlantic as early as August 28th.
What can we do?
Sitting in the safety of our chairs, support staff can often feel a little less than helpful while others are out there delivering survival materials before a hurricane and rebuilding materials after. However, there are certain things we can remind drivers to take note of to make sure that everything flows as smoothly as possible, and I say as smoothly as possible because trust me, disaster relief is as rough as a hedgehog’s back.
- Remind drivers to be patient, and be patient yourself. No one will know what to do on-site, expect that, don’t be surprised by it.
- Remind your drivers to bring plenty of reading material or crosswords with them, their chances of powering up devices, refueling generators, etc, might be spotty, so they don’t want to run out of power and be bored out of their minds.
- It’s important to make sure that drivers have their own ample supply of food, water, and toilet paper. If they are delivering survival materials into an area before a hurricane and get stuck in the area, they need to make it through the storm too.
- Try and have alternative ways to get ahold of your drivers, or have a plan in place in case you lose contact or power. Cell phone reception might be spotty or go out completely, so you need to have an alternative communication plan in place.
What can you do?
When in doubt, call us! At Lync Logistics, we have a 24/7 disaster relief team on-call during times like this, ready to jump into action, and be sure to keep up to date with the professionals at the National Hurricane Center.