Tom Yeager
Department of Environmental Horticulture,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611

Eelco Tinga
Tinga Nursery, Castle Hayne, NC 28429

Ted Bilderback,
Department of Horticultural Science,
North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC 27695

Hugh Gramling,
Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers, LAA, Seffner, FL 33584

Andrew, Camille, Donna, and Hugo; these are not names of children next door, but hurricanes most of us remember. We remember their roar, and destruction; the pain and suffering they caused. In 1969, Camille left 256 dead and in 1960, 50 people perished in Donna’s destruction (www.nhs.noaa.gov/pastdead.html), while in 1992 Andrew caused 30 billion dollars in damages (www.nhs.noaa.gov/pastcost.html). The southeast is vulnerable as shown by data from the National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov/paststate.html) that indicates a major hurricane direct hit in all-coastal southern states except Georgia and Maryland during 1900-1996 (Table 1). Because of the warm climate, the southeast is densely populated and many nurseries are located in coastal regions. Thus, we must be prepared. This paper will outline pre- and post-hurricane considerations for nursery operations based on experience of the authors.

General considerations more than 6 months pre-hurricane

General considerations 2-6 months pre-hurricane

1. General repair of buildings to secure loose components.
2. Clean ditches and grade areas for drainage.
3. Prune permanent trees to reduce wind resistance.
4. Obtain items such as: weather radios, plumbing supplies, batteries, tools, lumber, nails, tarps, ropes, shade cloth, greenhouse parts and covers, fuel storage with hand pump, substrate components, portable lights, and batteries.
5. Provide for potable water storage.
6. Tie down portable buildings.
7. Determine capacity, phase, portability, and quantity of electrical generators needed and provide for rapid connection with disconnect to main power.

8. Obtain first aid supplies

General considerations 1-2 days pre-hurricane

1. Irrigate plants and remove water from reservoirs.
2. Remove plants from benches.
3. Obtain cash because electronic fund transfers will not be possible after a hurricane.
4. Fill fuel tanks and fill sprayers with water.
5. Fill portable water containers.
6. Print out payroll, plant inventory, fertilizer, and pesticide inventory.
7. Charge batteries.

General considerations within 1 day pre-hurricane

1. Secure items such as small portable trailers, substrate mixing equipment, and position portable generators.
2. Dismantle irrigation risers; remove greenhouse plastic and shade cloth.
3. Lay large plants, plants likely to break and very valuable plants down with container toward wind. This is particularly important for pot in pot plants.
4. Place most valuable plants in protected place such as box trailer. Park box trailers side by side to resist turning over.
5. Secure windows, doors, and greenhouse vents.
6. Place tractors in fields.
7. Store computers.
8. Turn off natural and propane gas, water, and electricity.

Post-hurricane considerations
General

1. Notify customers about shipment status
2. Notify power company
3. Notify insurance company and apply for other types of assistance. Accept an initial partial payment. Additional losses may become evident at a later date.
4. Contact employees to inquire about their families and damage to personal property.
5. Document damage with photographs.

Post-hurricane considerations
Infrastructure

1. Prepare to irrigate by installing risers, repairing plumbing, or installing temporary plumbing.
2. Un-secure doors and vents and re-build structures and/or replace shade and greenhouse covers. Plants previously in shade may sunburn if not shaded.
3. Determine electrical conductivity (EC) of water in reservoirs. Reservoir water with EC greater than 2.0 dS/m should be diluted with fresh water.
4. Check field soils for elevated EC levels.
5. Evaluate changes in nursery infrastructure in preparation for future hurricanes. For example, now may be the time to convert some production areas from overhead to microirrigation.

Post-hurricane considerations
Plants

1. Place salable or salvageable plants upright, prune and stake if needed.
2. Remove plants from standing water. Inventory plants to account for lost, dead, and plants damaged too severely to recover. Insurance adjusters will need to inventory plants, so do not pile up plants to be discarded.
3. Consider costs to dispose of plants or reshape and re-grow. Substrate EC levels may exceed 2.0 dS/m and require leaching.
4. Fungicide applications may be needed to protect and minimize infestations of root and foliar disease occurrence.
5. Check field grown plants for flood damage. Flooding deprives roots of oxygen and often results in plant wilting even though available moisture is present in soil.
6. Purchase young plants to replace inventory losses

Long-term considerations

Long-term priorities should concentrate on the direction or focus of the nursery for the future. Now is the time to consider changes you have thought about in the past and would implement only if you had the opportunity to start over. Develop a business plan considering future markets. For example, you may change the predominant size of marketable plants or add additional cultivars to penetrate a new market, such as plants for water-conserving landscapes. You should also consider advancements in technology and make changes based on the most recent research-based information. Some questions to ask yourself include: Can low volume irrigation be used? Are irrigation runoff recovery ponds and systems for recycling water needed? Do fuel and pesticide storage and pesticide mix/load facilities comply with current guidelines? The university extension office in your county has numerous resources that can help you select and implement technological advancements appropriate for your nursery. Now is the time to make changes for a prosperous and rewarding future!

Literature Cited

National Hurricane Center, Tropical Prediction Center, Miami, Florida. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

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