If a picture is worth a thousand words, then sometimes after a hurricane, a picture can be worth thousands of dollars. Before the storms arrived and after we had secured our property, we took photos of the entire facility, especially the extra work done to protect the property. Even though plywood boards may not stand up to 160 mph wind, we made the attempt to protect our property and the insurance companies look at those types of things. When everything was blown away, the pictures remained, showing the boards and the marina in locked down condition.

One operator that MMS spoke with went as far as to video record the events prior to, during, and after the storm. When it comes time to make an insurance claim, the pictures showed the existing marina, its pre-hurricane condition, and the measures undertaken to secure the business. This action has saved many owners time and money by not having to explain how they prepared the marina and the cause of specific damages.

The next step

The marinas we spoke with had mixed emotions about how, and even if, they were planning to move forward after the destruction. On the one extreme were marinas that expressed outright disgust and a resignation to sell their facilities. On the other side of the coin were marinas that saw the destruction as an opportunity to expand, redevelop, and update their marinas. We will highlight two key examples of each recovery attitude.

One marina on the St. Johns River received extensive damage from high water and winds, which motivated the owner to actively market his property for sale. He was fed up with the condition of his property, charred by fire several years prior and now battered by the effects of Charley, Frances and Jeanne.

MMS visited this marina more than a week after Jeanne had hit, and the parking lot was still flooded due to high water levels. Moreover, water was only beginning to clean itself from the pollution caused by broken sewer lines and excessive run off. Fed up with the troubles and damages the resulted from the hurricanes, this operator decided to move on by moving out.   Continue »