The Hurricane Experience

Having lived in Houston for 28 years, I have been through hurricane preparedness more times than I can count. Prior to Ike, I've only experienced one direct hit, and that was nearly 25 years ago. My wife had never experienced a hurricane, and was somewhat excited about the possibility.

The hurricane first made its presence felt at my home shortly before midnight Friday. Hurricane force winds continued for about 10 hours, and we had tropical force winds for many hours after that. We received about 8 inches of rain during the hurricane, and another 3 inches on Sunday morning.

It is hard to explain hurricane force winds, particularly when they last for 10 hours. The best description is to imagine driving 100 miles an hour with your head out of the window. There is a continual, loud roar which became almost calming at times, because when a gust blew through the noise was very eerie. That this was occurring in the dark certainly did not help.

When we were finally able to emerge from our house (which suffered about $20 of damage) we found that our neighborhood had been transformed. Limbs, branches, leaves, and other debris littered yards and the roads. At least a half-dozen trees in my neighborhood were uprooted.

In the days since, as we have cleaned up debris, tolerated the absence of electricity, and basically engaged in glorified camping, my wife has remarked that hurricanes are not quite as exciting as she had imagined. She had only considered the actual hurricane part of the experience-- the anticipation, the wind, etc. She had not considered the aftermath--the destruction, the inconveniences, and the disruptions. In short, she had not considered the consequences.

This is not a negative comment about my wife. To be honest, the destruction and inconvenience has greatly exceeded anything I anticipated. I knew that some would lose power. I did not expect the entire city to lose power.

Similarly with our businesses. We must do more than look at the short term impact of a particular action or policy. We must look beyond, and identify what will result further down the road. A short term benefit (like the "joy" of a hurricane) can ultimately lead to consequences that are less pleasant (like no electricity for days).

So if we don't market we get the short term benefit of saving money. In the long term we have fewer leads. If we don't develop systems, we cannot delegate. If we don't write plans, we blow around in the wind. And if those winds happen to be of hurricane magnitude, the results can be quite unpleasant.

Lessons from Ike

Some of the details may bore you, but my experience with Hurricane Ike provided a few valuable lessons. I will likely post on some of my experiences and the lessons learned over the next few days.

We had been aware of Ike for about 2 weeks. Living in a hurricane zone, we get frequent updates on tropical disturbances, storms, etc. that may develop into hurricanes. We have made some level of preparation at least 3 times this year, as hurricanes posed some threat to the Texas coast. This is a drill that is relatively commonplace for residents of the area.

Part of the preparation process is to secure water and food for at least 3 days. The food should be non-perishable, as power may be off. These are the steps that individuals are expected to take to provide for their sustenance while repairs are made and other supplies brought into the area. We are also encouraged to have batteries for radios and flashlights, candles, and other items to help us during the initial days after the storm.

The winds began picking up at my house shortly before midnight on Friday night. Hurricane force winds continued for more than 10 hours. Our lights flickered several times over the next few hours, finally falling into darkness at about 2:30 AM Saturday morning. Our power has not been restored as of Wednesday afternoon.

On Sunday we took a break from cleaning debris to listen to the radio. Less than 1 day after a major hurricane, citizens and "leaders" were complaining about the lack of supplies that were being brought into the area by FEMA. There seemed to be an endless stream of people complaining that they had no water or food. Those complaints have continued.

Within Houston, few homes were damaged beyond habitation. The complainers were not wiped out-- they had simply refused to properly prepare. They had refused to take even the slightest step in the direction of self-responsibility. Instead, they lined up to complain to radio reporters that others were not providing for them.

Such people get absolutely no sympathy from me. They had weeks to prepare. The preparations are not difficult-- a couple of bottles of water and a can of tuna fish would suffice for a day. This is not gourmet dining, but living through the aftermath of a major hurricane is not a fun time.

Those of us who took responsibility for our own well-being have no complaints. We had plenty of water and food. We also had plenty of gasoline (we were told to fill our gas tanks prior to the storm). Life has not been pleasant, but we do not spend our time driving around the city looking for water, gas, food, or ice.

I hasten to add that I am not claiming that every person who ran out of water, food, or gas acted irresponsibly. But those who apparently made no preparations were irresponsible.

The lessons from this apply directly to our paint contracting business. Those who blame the economy or illegals for their lack of work, or complain about the inevitable winter slow down are no different from those who refused to purchase bottled water. Operating a business, like preparing for a hurricane, requires foresight. It requires identifying what actions are required to survive and thrive, and it also requires taking those actions. A business owner, like those who live in a hurricane zone, must prepare for the future.

In the end, those who fail to prepare get exactly what they deserve (unless others protect them from the consequences of their actions). It is no fun stockpiling water and food, filling tubs of water to flush toilets, or devising plans to air out a stuffy and humid house. Nor is it particularly fun making cash flow projections, job costing, or developing marketing plans.

But if you wish to live in reasonable comfort after a hurricane you must take the requisite actions. It is no different when you own a paint contracting business.