Hurricane Preparedness Resources Available

As the tropics heat up, NACS provides several resources on hurricane preparedness and disaster recovery.

August 17, 2011

ALEXANDRIA, VA - Experts predicted an active hurricane season and so far the predictions have come true. There have been a total of seven tropical storms this year, which makes this year second to only 2005 in terms of number of storms recorded by August 15.

The difference between this year and 2005 is the ferocity of hurricanes. So far this year, all seven named tropical storms have failed to reach hurricane status. But that may soon change; the second week in August is typically when the first Atlantic hurricane forms. That's why The Weather Channel has developed shows this week around the theme "Hurricane Week 2011."

NACS has developed a number of resources to help retailers prepare for and deal with the aftermath of hurricanes in anticipation that future storms could threaten businesses.

The first is a backgrounder explaining why a hurricane that strikes the Gulf Coast can disrupt a huge segment of the U.S. crude oil market, interrupt the domestic refining and distribution system and affect markets 1,000 miles or more away.

"NACS is sharing this backgrounder and our annual Fuels Report with members of Congress and state Attorneys General to ensure they understand how the market works, that regions of the country are interconnected, and that retailers operate under challenging market conditions especially when a disruption occurs," said NACS Vice President of Government Relations John Eichberger.

NACS also has a number of other fuels-related resources to assist members as part of its 2011 NACS Annual Fuels Report. This includes a video feature looking at crisis preparation.

NACS also has resources online related to Disaster Recovery & Relief, including a link to information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on hurricane preparedness.

Finally, as we approach the six-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, you may want to view this video. Hurricane Katrina did more than disrupt the country's petroleum infrastructure in 2005. The NACS Show was scheduled to take place in October 2005 in New Orleans. NACS was able to relocate the NACS Show to Las Vegas on 10 weeks' notice, as opposed to the usual year of planning and drew more than 22,000 attendees and the second-largest expo to date.

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