Mike Silvers, CPRC, Owner, Silvers Systems, Inc. and FRSA Director of Technical Services
At this point we have all heard it many times, “The Coronavirus doesn’t recognize state borders or county lines.” Unfortunately, a hurricane does not recognize a pandemic either! It is hard to imagine that we could very well be dealing with both. June 1st is the first day of hurricane season. Researchers are predicting an active season with 16 named storms that may include 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. Chances for a strike in Florida remain high.
Florida was spared a direct hit last year when Dorian stopped just short of the highly populated southeast coast of Florida, while ravaging a large swath in the Bahamas. However, the memories of Irma and Michael are still very fresh. People were crowded
into shelters and were stuck in traffic jams as they tried to evacuate. Think about how all of that would change if COVID-19 is still infecting our citizens. Going to a shelter would be nearly impossible without being exposed. You could get out on the highway, heading to where? Most motels and hotels are closed. Will they be prepared to handle a major influx of evacuees?
Staying at the homes of friends or relatives would have its own dangers. A very tough decision would have to be made: either face one of these undesirable options or truly shelter in place (not just stay at home) and face the storm there. If you live in a flood zone the answer is simple; you need to leave unless your home is constructed to resist a possibly deadly storm surge and flooding. I am not trying to scare you, but we must consider, in fact prepare, for that possibility. For many of us, the preferred option will be to shelter in place, particularly when you consider the other possibilities. Then the question shifts to whether our homes are ready.
If people considered the situation soberly, there should be a run on home hardening to match the one on toilet paper. Solid storm-resistant roofing, opening protections and generators will all be more important than ever. These are reasonable things we can do to prepare and help boost the economy. The work should not place workers in close proximity to each other while performing work done outside. If this happens, it will help us keep our crews working over the next several months. Keeping our employees available and working will be critical if we are going to respond to the demand if a storm does hit. The following are just a few tips to help convince people to sign contracts during hard economic times when they are reluctant to:
■ Sell the benefits of a new wind-resistant roof system, especially when considering the need to shelter-in-place.
■ Appeal to their community spirit by explaining just how critical roofing is in normal times (nothing gets done inside for long, without a weathertight structure to do it in), but becomes exponentially more important during storm recovery. They can help our industry stay prepared while helping themselves and improving their homes and buildings. There will be no caravans of roofers like there are power companies after a storm. It will take Florida’s roofers to answer the call.
■ When we reduce our employees as work slows, the talent level on our crews (always good, but even better now) goes up. If they commit now, they can get the “A” team.
■ When business is off, you get better material pricing and contractors sharpen their pencils.
Hopefully, some of these suggestions will be helpful. Good salesmanship and the ability to close a deal will be more important than ever.
The federal government’s Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) is just being rolled out as of this writing. It has the potential to help you keep your employees on your payroll, so they still receive a nearly complete paycheck that comes directly from you. It remains to be seen how well it will work. Mark me down as skeptical. There are of course new federal mandates for employers as well, like mandatory paid sick leave and family leave that has the potential to cost employers now with the hope of receiving reimbursement later. For those of us old enough to remember, Popeye’s Wimpy saying “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” comes to mind. It would certainly be helpful if our industry receives some of the funding from this program. Lord knows we will have to fill the hole this spending leaves in the federal budget whether we get any of the money or not.
We need to keep our employees working as much as possible and keep them close. Our industry cannot afford another talent drain like we had during the recession. We were just beginning to fill some of the holes in our workforce before this crisis happened. How well we can respond to the next hurricane will depend on how well we respond to the pandemic and the economic downturn it causes now.
Mike Silvers, CPRC is owner of Silver Systems Inc., and is consulting with FRSA as Director of Technical Services. Mike is an FRSA Past President, Life Member and Campanella Award recipient and brings over 40 years of industry knowledge and experience to FRSA’s team.
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