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Hurricanes and Production

• Posted by Filmrisk September 9, 2008 - #safety  #hurricane  #contingency  #plan  #natural  #disaster  #cyclone  #typhoon  - 1,048 views

  With the ongoing hurricane season, I am including my hurricane contingency plan checklist for production.  This is excerpted from my article "Hurricane Contingency Planning for Film and TV Production".  If you are considering production in an area subject to hurricanes, cyclones or typhoons, contact me to learn how we can help.
  

  
  

  Hurricane Preparation Checklist

   

  Advance Preparations

  ·         Weather radio with batteries placed in the production office and production trailer

  ·         Local and/or state Emergency Management Agency contacted to obtain emergency evacuation routes, shelter locations and other pertinent information

  ·         Vehicle and Equipment Evacuation sites identified and advance arrangements made

  ·         Personnel Evacuation sites identified and advance arrangements made

  ·         Hurricane kit prepared

  ·         Hurricane procedures provided to department heads

  ·         Current cast and crew list kept in hurricane kit

  ·         Discuss hurricane plan with hotel(s) and local authorities

   

  Evacuation Checklist

  ·         Weather Radio with spare batteries

  ·         Flashlights with spare batteries or light-sticks

  ·         All 2 way radio batteries full charged

  ·         Current cast and crew list including emergency contact info

  ·         Current cel phone list (if separate)

  ·         Phone numbers for evacuation hotels or other sites

  ·         Essential files ready for transport

  ·    Business affairs, show attorney or other appropriate personnel notified of evacuation and destination(s)

  ·         All vehicles fully fueled including fuel trucks

  ·    All cast and crew members notified of their destination and provided with emergency contact cel phone/pager numbers

  ·         Emergency food and water supplies

  ·         Inventory of props, wardrobe, equipment

  ·         Cost report on sets that cannot be moved

  ·         Photographs of all sets that cannot be moved

  ·         Contact numbers left with production hotel and local suppliers

  ·         Contact numbers of local personnel, local government authority or others not evacuating (these will be your contacts to find out about damage, closures or other items that will affect when the production can return to the area)

   

  During the Hurricane

  ·    Monitor storm progress and direction in case further evacuation becomes necessary

  ·         Have all department heads ‘check in’ regularly for further developments

  ·         Keep all receipts and documentation

  ·         Follow evacuation orders

  ·      Instruct personnel to remain in a safe place until the storm has passed.  Remember that there will be a period of calm after the initial wall of the storm passes and while the eye of the storm is over a location.  After the eye passes, the remaining portion of the storm will pass over the location, usually with winds in the opposite direction.

   

   

  After the Hurricane

  ·         Monitor news reports and emergency communications to ascertain extent of damage to the evacuated area

  ·         Contact local contacts to find out about damage, road closures, emergency orders, etc. to determine if it is OK to send advance team back to the site.

  ·         If return is indicated, send advance team to assess conditions for return

  ·         Advance team to survey sets, production office, shops and locations to assess damage.

  ·         Reopen production office

  ·         Photograph all damage.

  ·         Notify risk management or insurance broker of any loss

  ·   Do not begin demolition until cleared by the insurance company or risk management to do so (unless ordered by local government authority)

  ·         Document all repairs or replacement of damaged/destroyed items

  ·         Keep all receipts and documentation

  ·         Return vehicles, equipment and all other production materials

   

   

  Summary

  Hurricanes can cause major disruptions in filming.  As with any emergency, it is easier to prepare than it is to react.  Advance preparation can help safeguard personnel, protect property and reduce downtime.  Knowing your production is ready for an emergency makes the decision making process easier.

   

  At CMM Entertainment, we assist our clients with insurance brokerage and risk consulting services.  Our elite team has the expertise to handle your insurance and risk control needs on all types of productions.

   

  About the Author

  As Director of Risk Services for CMM Entertainment, Chris Palmer provides and manages risk control and risk management consultation services worldwide to the entertainment industry.  He has personally overseen the evacuation of many film and television productions from the paths of hurricanes.  Services available to assist clients with controlling and managing hurricane risk include development and implementation of hurricane contingency plans including personnel evacuation, production shutdown and resumption, crisis communications, and loss mitigation strategies.  He is a licensed insurance broker.

  Other services include preparation of safety programs, foreign country risk assessments, security/counter-terrorism plans and assistance with the preparation of overseas security and medical evacuation plans.  A specialist in film and television production safety, he has presented production safety seminars to groups including the Directors Guild of America Producer and Assistant Director Training Programs and the Risk and Insurance Management Society and is a regular speaker on stunt and special effects safety at the American Film Institute.   

  Chris Palmer

  CMM Entertainment + 1 818 224 6142