By Ben Adams, Jr.
On June 1st, the Atlantic Hurricane season officially began. While that might be an afterthought for many seasoned Floridians, natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods shouldn’t be taken lightly. At Adams Cold Storage, we literally cannot afford to be unprepared in the event of a hurricane or severe weather occurrence, and that is why we have detailed emergency operating procedures outlined in every contract we send to a client.
In the event of a hurricane warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N.O.A.A.), our management team will begin to monitor the inclement weather to determine when to secure operations. If a shutdown were to be called for, ACS would first communicate the decision before beginning the process of securing the facility to ensure our personnel and client’s products are kept as safe as possible.
Other than structural damage, loss of electrical power is the greatest concern for ACS. To prepare for power loss, temperatures in our freezers are lowered and all ammonia refrigerants will be secured on site. This planned refrigeration shutdown will mean the warehouse will be closed, with all internal and external doors remaining closed to help retain the lowered temperatures.
Should there be any onsite damage, ACS has electrical, building, and refrigeration contractors on standby to help get our operation up and running as quickly and safely as possible.
Outside of the fact that we have products and inventory from all over the world to keep safe, Adams Cold Storage also stores National School Lunch Program food commodities for peninsular Florida-commodities which also serve as a resource for emergency feeding situations. Because of this, we are in constant contact with the Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee when hurricanes, fires, or other natural emergencies have triggered E.O.C. activation. These commodity items can be released by the state at any time in order to supply designated emergency shelters with food for evacuees and volunteers. Following Hurricane Irma, we supplied the equivalent of more than 250,000 meals from Ocala to Key West.
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. At Adams Cold Storage, we understand the importance of having a plan to ensure lives, products, and warehouses are kept as safe as possible during a hurricane or other acts of extreme weather. For more information, including hurricane forecasts, preparation checklists, and evacuation information, visit nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php.
