Boat & Motor Dealer / Manna Dock Age, December 2004

Florida’s Marine Industry Tackles the Hurricane Recovery Process
by Tim Keogh

The summer of 2004 was no “high season” for Florida’s marina owners and residents. Some, in fact, experienced the lowest of the low. As the 2004 Florida hurricane season mercifully came to an end, Marina Management Services, Inc. (MMS) took the opportunity to talk with marina owners and operators about what helped in their recovery from the storms, and how they plan to move ahead.

The scene

When all the damages and claims are totaled, the four hurricanes that hit Florida within a six-week period this past summer will be the second greatest insurance event in U.S. history behind only the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the Florida Insurance Council (www.flains.org) and the Insurance Information Institute. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne are among the top eight most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history, with projected insured losses of $22.5 billion coming from more than 2 million claims. Given the geographic scope of the claims and the extent of damages, it is hard to believe that the state is so far along in the recovery process less than one month after the last storm.

Florida’s marine industry, led by local and statewide industry associations, has taken the lead in moving the speedy recovery forward. In reviewing these efforts, MMS spoke specifically with owners and operators of marinas affected by the hurricanes this season to find out the specifics of the recovery process. Although Florida’s marine industry took a beating with the four storms, this industry is showing positive signs of bouncing back.

The most important thing that many of these marina operators felt their colleagues should do in the aftermath of a hurricane is to clean up their property, restore a sense of order, and re-open for business as soon as possible. Restoring a sense of normalcy helps to heal the psychological wounds wrought by the storms. There is also a great benefit in doing this from a damage assessment standpoint. An open business is a secure business, one that is less susceptible to looters and theft than a property that is left vulnerable after a storm.   Continue »