CNGA LooseLeaf August/September 2018

10 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  August/September 2018 Being Prepared with an Emergency Plan During the hurricane, Morning Dew was unable to make shipments to customers when its trucking contractors were closed for a week and a half. “Our customers were very understanding. Obviously, their biggest concern was our safety. We also tried to assure everyone of what we were doing to prepare on our side,” he said. The wholesaler has a comprehensive emergency disaster and recovery plan, developed in collaboration with its IT consultant several years ago. The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) has developed and customized an emergency preparedness manual for each of its local chapters. Spearheaded by FNGLA's Immediate Past President Ed Bravo, the manual provides helpful information for members to better prepare and assist one another following a weather emergency. Since Morning Dew does not grow or store any products, it has no growing facilities or crops to protect. Instead, the company must ensure its office equipment and systems are operable to stay in communication, process orders, and track pickup and delivery. “You have to plan ahead and be prepared, so if something does happen, it doesn’t cripple the business. Each year, we review and refine our plan, and we try to put it into practice at least once a year. Last year and the year before (Hurricane Matthew), we had to put it in practice for real emergencies,” White said. In advance of both hurricanes, the staff unplugged and put computers and electronic equipment on top of desks. Everything was covered with garbage bags even though the offices are on upper floors, to avoid potential water damage if windows broke or ceilings leaked. “If the power goes out, we have a generator that can run our server and one of our computers. We always have two internet providers, so if service goes out with one, we switch to the other. For power surges, we have battery backup for all computers,” he added. “On a daily basis, all A Helping Hand in the Aftermath As Morning Dew Tropical Plants President Kingston White was visiting growers after the hurricane, he stood talking among the ruins at one company where almost 90 percent of the crops were wiped out and all of the shade houses were destroyed. The owner and a colleague noted how fortunate Morning Dew was. By not having inventory, the wholesaler was not experiencing loss in the same way as the growers had. “I wanted to do something for those impacted more than others,” White recalled. That realization led his company to a fundraising effort that brought in more than $21,000 in donations from association members, customers, and even competitors. Within a month after the hurricane hit, even before other types of disaster relief funding came from the state or federal governments, 100 percent of the donations from the fundraising campaign went to eight growers that had been impacted the most and applied for relief with verified invoices for rebuilding efforts. One grower had an invoice for more than $13,000 just for shade cloth. “What really impressed me is how much the industry came together and we were able to raise funds. There was an incredible outpouring and uniting of people in the industry to make a difference,” he said. “One grower who was a recipient said it was so unexpected to get that check. It could have been for $5 and it still would have been significant. Just the fact that he received a check from his peers let his company staff know they were not in this alone and people do care.” Green Plants for Green Buildings, a nonprofit with a mission of communicating the diverse benefits of nature in the built environment, started a similar fundraising campaign for green businesses impacted by Hurricane Irma. White, who sits on the nonprofit’s board, was able to help direct a portion of those funds to the same recipients, multiplying the benefits for them. “I thought it was meaningful for our whole team. It showed us how this industry has the best people in the world, willing to give the shirts off their backs to help each other,” he said. Photos courtesy of Morning Dew Tropical Plants