HURRICANE / TROPICAL STORM

The Warning System

The following warnings will be issued prior to a Hurricane. Members of Contingency Plan should pay careful attention to these warnings as there are certain procedures to follow after each warning or condition. Some radio and television stations in the region have a special signal which precedes warning messages. Become familiar with them.

AMSC has operation in the Miami River Port, for this reason we use the cost guard alert system in reference with the river operation. These have the equivalence with National Center of Hurricane.

CONDITION WHISKEY (72 Hours)/ Hurricane Alert

CONDITION X-RAY (48 Hours)     / Hurricane Watch

CONDITION YANKEE (24 Hours) / Hurricane Warning

CONDITION ZULU (12 Hours)       / Hurricane Warning

CONDITION WHISKEY (72 Hours)

As soon as receiving the hurricane watch the Contingency Plan Coordinator calls the team to discuss the strategy. Then the instructions to be taken will be sent to each operation area supervisor. Each operation area Supervisor and team leader takes the following instructions as applicable to their area:

·         Review contingency plan

·         Clean job site daily (remove and secure potential flying hazards)

• Inspect and secure tie-downs for all terminal area and security trailers
• Review vessel arrival schedules
• Review operational schedules to identify shipments of cargoes of particular hazard, Hazardous Material and / or Dangerous Cargoes arriving via highway or maritime.
• Reschedule cargo deliveries that have little impact on your operation
• Make sure your staff is aware of important phone numbers and your contingency plan and their cellular and radio batteries fully charged at all times.
• Contact your subcontractors and outline your expectations for securing job sites, explain your contingency plan, and give them phone numbers where they can reach you
• Notify customers that pending storm may affect service.
• Update contact information of team members.
• Update contact information of key vendors such as telephone and computer equipment providers.
• Make sure your vehicles have flashlights, drinking water and full gasoline.
• Make sure computers are surge-protected and the UPS functions properly
• Test back-up power, batteries and generator.
• Print hard copies of important data.
• Identify & confirm all necessary office supplies including toner/cartridges etc…
• Container stacking plans should be implemented (if are unable to reduce container stacking height to no more than four high, must to submit a container stacking protocol to COTP (Captain of terminal port) for approval. 
• Call to contact person of Strategic Weather Advisory Team (SWAT) to know the last information.
• Report to Contingency Plan Coordinator about conditions of each operation area.

CONDITION X-RAY (48 Hours)

• Police the job site and reasonable area around the each operation area
• Determine if necessary to work extra hours in functions to finish the load or unload in order to finalize all cargo operations.
• Determine the special needs and intentions of vessels moored at the facility
• Determine with charter principals whether vessels desire to remain moored or are unable to depart to the facility and notify the vessel master, vessel agent and the COTP decision and get authorization.
• Continue to implement container stacking protocol, container must not exceed four tiers unless previously approved by COTP and container carrying hazardous material may not be stacked above the second tier.
• Set a time for the voluntary suspension of cargo handling operations to ensure you have time prior to the setting of Port Maritime Hurricane Condition Zulu. Notify all areas involved.
• Arrange to have dumpsters removed and all potential flying debris should be remove or secured.
• Halt material deliveries
• Stop production of any work that is highly vulnerable to damage
• Complete tasks such as concrete work if it may prevent damage to the job site
• Have your subs secure or remove unnecessary materials or equipment from job sites
• Prepare to cover windows and glass doors
• Plan for the next day as if a Condition Yankee will be issued, make sure there is enough time to complete the tasks necessary for a Condition Yankee
• A notification will be sent to all customers about the condition and the measures of operation. Also an announcement will be posted on AMSC website.

CONDITION YANKEE (24 Hours)

• Inspect and check if the operations area is secure of missile hazards and clear nonessential equipment and loose gear from all wharves and piers, make sure the dumpsters have been removed or are empty
• Remove scaffolding
• Secure or remove all operations equipments and materials including hazardous materials and dangerous cargo to a safe location.
• Refill combustible in the equipment’s tanks, also water tank and other containers as necessary. 
• Individual drums of hazardous material should be palletized and banded. When palletized drums are stowed inside, they should be elevated of the floor. When stowed outside, palletized drums should be sheltered from the weather as much as possible and in no case stacked more than two high. Stacked pallets of drums should also be braced to prevent shifting or toppling.
• Advice to Coordinator of any dangerous cargo that cannot be moved to a safe location and then to COTP if there is not a solution.
• Prepare to secure cargo operations involving liquid bulk dangerous cargoes in advance of the condition ZULU
• Turn off power at circuit breakers to any temporary electric service and installation warehouse unattended.
• Close and cover all windows with hurricane proof shutters.
• Back-up all computer records; create 3 complete system back-ups of all computer records, 1 on site and 2 off site. Perform a complete data back-up to remote server at a specialized data center
• Make sure your office and surrounding areas are secured.
• Tarp all existing hardware and electrical equipment including workstations in case of water damage.
• Operations involving cargoes of particular hazard will be secured, without exception.
• Appropriate container stacking protocol must be completed.
• No containers should be received at the terminal and no cargo shall be moved from any customer warehouse or facility. No LCL should be received at this time.
• If is necessary to move containers from terminal (limitation, capacity, special cargo or to be in compliance with the container stacking protocol) or storage a group remained on the way, it has to be storage in NB/SB yard.
• Ensure all vessel over 300 gross tons that have expressed a desire to remain in port are securely moored to the facility (double or triple lines as appropriate to situation) and it has gotten the COTP authorization.
• Must terminate all cargo operations not associated with storm preparations
• Transfer phone lines to remote location with recorded message of latest information.
• Set up emergency 1800 number for employees.
• Call a contact person of the Strategic Weather Advisory Team (SWAT) to obtain the latest information & most current status.
• If authorities call for evacuation, leave immediately, tell your employees to leave

CONDITION ZULU (12 Hours)

• Secure cargo operations involving liquid bulk dangerous cargoes, unless permission is granted from the COTP Cargoes of particular hazard will be secured in all cases.
• Tank with oil should drain and its arm and transfer hoses of product blank off hoses empty and clean small discharge containment.  
• All the operations and service will be suspended, except for final preparation as expressly permitted by the COTP  necessary to ensure the safety of the port and facility.

DURING THE HURRICANE

• Only the personnel required will be in the installation (if is necessary be present)
• The personnel will be in a safe place designated for this purpose
• Personnel remaining in the installation should have good criteria and have to cooperate with the authorities (until they can)

AFTER THE HURRICANE

Immediately after a hurricane there are many tasks that must be attended to in order to return to normal operations as soon as possible. The coordinator will establish (according with authorities recommendations) when to begin damage assessment, Impact evaluation, clean up and salvage and operations restoration. Each team leader and or supervisor of operation area has to report to coordinator and Emergency Response Team the following

• Consult Priority Repairs Needs Report, developed by the initial inspection team immediately following the event
• Photograph damage
• Survey properties on basis of priority identified above. Insurance under-writer to accompany team/or retained quantity surveyor
• Itemize structural and non-structural damage, to specific building equipment and to utilities and communication system.
• Identify need for contracted services, labor and material needs for damage repair.
• Estimate each building &equipment repair costs.
• Summarize damage survey with estimated repair cost.
• Develop recovery schedule.
• Request advice on redesign or modification of vulnerable elements.
• Identify disrupted telephone and power services, water shortages, damage to major transportation routes, and disruption of public transportation facilities.
• Ascertain projected restoration period.
• Contact employees to ascertain extent to which personal damage and dislocation will prevent work resumption.
• Assess level of human resources needed for recovery work.
• Request the possibility relative to hiring temporary personnel.
• Assess reallocation of resources and unplanned expenditure.
• Establish temporary dump on premises, where necessary.
• Activate clean-up and salvage team.
• Activate mutual aid for transportation and other support for recovery activities.
• Secure contractor services where needed.
• Request professional assistance if necessary.
• Call to contact person of Strategic Weather Advisory Team (SWAT) to know the latest information (when will be allowed to re open the port and get back on schedule)
• Other indications by Coordinator of contingency plan.

If there is a catastrophic condition or a situation where the normal activities could not be re-established in any way, the Coordinator together with emergency response team will take a decision to move operations to other port or city.