Florida Banking December 2023

mitigation actions. To help businesses with all elements of a hurricane emergency response plan, Zurich has published a Hurricane Resource Hub, with information provided by the Risk Engineers of Zurich Resilience Solutions and other knowledgeable sources. Find it at zurichna.com/knowledge/natural-hazards-resource hub/hurricane-resource-hub.

Hurricane Resilience, Continued from page 23

equipment, preventing equipment from exposure to water as well as direct wind loads. • Following FEMA guidelines for securing lightning rods. • Arranging satellite dishes so the dish, supports and ballast can be removed and stored in a secure location before a storm hits. • Protecting cooling towers with equipment screens designed for the wind loads. • Securing steel decks with screws rather than welds. Of course, even the best planning and building design does not guarantee your community or structures will fare as well as Babcock Ranch when a major storm hits. A thorough emergency response has four phases and mitigation planning is only the first. The other phases are: • Preparedness (actions to take 48 hours and 36 hours before a major windstorm) • Response (actions to take 12 hours before a storm and in the immediate aftermath) • Recovery (post-storm actions to restore business operations) All elements of an emergency response plan should be reviewed and updated each year, with the input of risk specialists and the support of management leadership. This article includes only a brief overview of

Learn about climate risk services available from Zurich Resilience Services at zurichna.com/risk/climate-solutions.

1. National Hurricane Center. “National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian.” 3 April 2023. 2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. “Costliest U.S. Tropical Cyclones.” 11 September 2023. 3. Aon. “2023 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Insight.” 2023. 4. United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Climate Change Indicators: Tropical Cyclone Activity.” April 2021. 5. Voiland, Adam. “The Ocean Has a Fever.” NASA Earth Observatory. 21 August 2023. 6. Izaguirre, Anthony. “Florida lawmakers set to meet on ailing insurance market.” The Associated Press. 6 December 2022. 7. Neuman, Scott. “One Florida community built to weather hurricanes endured Ian with barely a scratch.” 6 October 2022. All Things Considered (NPR).

24 — FLORIDA BANKING THE VOICE OF FLORIDA BANKING