With hurricane season on the horizon, Air Partner, a global leader in private aviation, with a focus on natural disaster safety and planning, has its Hurricane Evacuation Program in place, ready to aid and assist with preparations and evacuations.
In a press release, the company today provided a list of emergency planning tips especially relevant to companies and organizations, in advance of the 20 predicted storms in the 2019 hurricane season pipeline.
“Air Partner’s dedicated team of experts excels in planning, executing and managing air support and air evacuations, whether for personal airlift, large group evacuations, or time-critical deliveries. In anticipation of another active hurricane season this year, it is critical for companies to think ahead and have a disaster plan in place,” said David McCown, president of Air Partner U.S.
He continued, “Our extensive experience and global network allow us to handle complex situations, and we are proud to have successfully evacuated thousands of people to safety in critical moments. That said, the need for emergency evacuations goes down with proper forward-thinking and advance planning. Our team is here, with the right expertise, ready to help with this process.”
According to the Global Weather Oscillations (GWO), this hurricane season may see up to 20 named storms – seven of which could become hurricanes.
· An evacuation decision should be considered 72 hours or more prior to the storm’s arrival. There is a limited window of opportunity after this time frame. Once winds reach an excess of 30 mph, evacuation may no longer be feasible due to aircraft landing limitations. Typically, the wind and weather conditions escalate – therefore, it is best to make critical decisions as soon as possible.
· Aircraft availability is limited during natural disasters, due to high demand, so Air Partner encourages groups to plan in advance when possible and make critical decisions early. As storms get closer and conditions worsen, aircrafts become less able to access evacuation airports, making charter pricing increase as aircrafts and airports become more limited.
· It is vital to prepare all necessary documentation, including passports and visas, for employees to enter a foreign country before a storm approaches. Standard immigration rules apply, even during a crisis; companies should take proactive measures to ensure that all documentation is in place before hurricane season begins.
As part of the Hurricane Evacuation Program, Air Partner offers pre-planning and rapid response evacuation services to companies, government organizations, and individuals, providing 24/7 global air evacuation planning and implementation services for any situation a client deems an emergency.
Evacuations are carried out based on the pre-planning component, with preferred aircraft access and transfers to pre-selected destinations. All plans can be executed immediately by a dedicated response team who takes care of ground support, logistics, and planning.
Since implementing its Hurricane Evacuation Program more than a decade ago, Air Partner has evacuated large groups of employees and teams to safety, including evacuating 70 employees of a private bank in Nassau, Bahamas to Atlanta, Georgia during Hurricane Matthew, as well as numerous evacuations across Florida, Virginia, Louisiana and Texas.
The company’s planning covers main and contingency/alternative airports, airport capabilities, in route complexities such as clearances, political areas, avoidance areas and terrain issues, destination airfields, onward dispersal and contingency planning.
Air Partner’s services are not limited to corporations and government entities and are also available to individuals or families impacted by weather.