MarineLab and Hurricane Season
Ginette Hughes, CEO
Here in the subtropics, we have two seasons, not four: wet and dry. And in the Florida Keys, we label them as hurricane season and non-hurricane season. From June 1 to November 30, we are officially in storm season. So what does MarineLab do to prepare for tropical storms and hurricanes? Here are some answers to your most frequently asked questions, and you are always welcome to contact us if you have further questions!
What happens with groups when a storm is approaching MarineLab?
We take a proactive approach during all weather events, not just tropical storms. We monitor weather reports constantly. If a storm is approaching and it looks like it MAY impact us, we contact the groups who are scheduled to be here and make arrangements to reschedule them. In the Florida Keys, our Emergency Management System is cautious and often calls for an evacuation of tourists and visitors long before any impact can be felt. We are even more conservative than that; we don’t want to have to worry about evacuating a group. Better that they just stay home in the first place.
On occasion a fast-moving storm will start heading in our direction after a school arrives, in which case we cut their program short and send them home. We even had a situation once where a storm was nowhere near Key Largo but we sent a group back home after only one night with us, because the storm was heading to THEIR home town and their departure date would have had them traveling right in the middle of the storm track!
What happens to our money if a storm forces us to cancel our MarineLab program?
Our preference is to reschedule your group at another time and just move the money to the new dates. If that causes some students to cancel because the new dates conflict with other events, then we will waive our non-refundable deposit policy and give that deposit back to the student. If there are no other dates available that work for the group, we will refund the entire amount.
What happens if we are there and a storm is generated right on top of us?
While we do everything in our power to avoid having any groups here during a tropical event, having a storm develop right on top of us is a remote possibility. The fortunate part is that a developing storm is weak and on the move, so it will go away from us and we can just treat it as bad weather and do our usual bad weather activities on dry land under shelter.
Irma was a flooding event that created a LOT of mess for us to clean up. On the left, you can see the highwater mark of the storm surge and the detritus left behind; right is our restroom hallway all cleaned up again!
Has MarineLab been affected by storms before?
Yes. Over more than 35 years of operation, we’ve had many tropical storms and hurricanes that caused us to cancel or reschedule programs. The facility has sustained direct hits at least three times: Hurricane Georges (1998), Hurricane Wilma (2005), and Hurricane Irma (2017). Luckily, they caused only minor damage. Irma was a flooding event that closed us for six weeks for cleanup and restoration; our instructors became adept at cleaning up seaborne detritus and using tools that they don’t usually get to use!
In 2005, Wilma tore some of the facade right off the east end of the big building. Future buildings will be constructed to withstand 155 mph winds so we can get “back to business as usual” soon after any storm event.
Does MarineLab have plans to harden the facility against future storms?
YES! We are embarking on an ambitious site redevelopment plan that includes construction of new dorms and cafeteria that are raised above flood and built to withstand category five storms. While it’s still in the planning stages, we are looking forward to creating a facility that will sustain MarineLab’s programs through the next 50 years at least!
If you have more questions about a specific storm’s effect on your program, call Coordinator Anne Hill at 305-451-1139 option 1. If you have questions about our future plans, reach out to CEO Ginette Hughes at ginettehughes@mrdf.org.