HURRICANE TIPS & INFORMATION
a special thank you to the Florida Nursery Growers & Landscape Association and
the Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers for most of this information

Secure your structures and buildings. Make any necessary repairs to your structures so they are secure from the weather and intrusion.

Take care of your plant material. Stand up all plant material as quickly as possible to prevent burning from laying in the sun. Re-stake material as quickly as possible. Irrigate to flush any salt residue. The closer to the coast you are, the more important this is. The force of hurricane winds can carry salt spray for miles. Replant any material needing it. Prune to correct any damage.

Notify the proper authorities in the event of storm damage. Notify the local police or sheriff’s department of any road obstructions or hazardous situations. Notify your electric company of any power outages so they can get your request in their repair sequences. Report water, sewer or gas line breaches to the appropriate authority. If in doubt, call the police or sheriff’s department.

If necessary, notify disaster assistance agencies of your needs. If you have crop insurance, you may qualify for disaster assistance or low cost loans. Contact the appropriate agency as soon as possible for instruction.

Notify your customers of your situation. As quickly as possible, let your customers know how well you survived the storm and when you anticipate servicing their accounts.

Inspect your property closely and pay particular attention to downed power lines, broken water lines, etc.

DO NOT approach downed power lines. Call your power company and report downed lines or loss of power.

Photograph and document damage before you start clean-up.