School Project Help: Theme Park Hurricane and Disaster Responce

[Darksin]

Hello Again!

On other boards I have randomly asked for help among the theme park crowds for different papers and topics in college. This semester I'm doing a final project in regards to disasters and urban war zones. I've decided to base this creative writing project on Six Flags New Orleans as my setting and now I need some help!

What I am looking for is previous or current theme park employees who have experienced hurricane procedures or have knowledge of them. As well as any kind of disaster response or procedures. As I am trying to limit my own influence on the story as much as possible I'd like another persons experiences or perspectives! It's been well over ten years for myself and I cannot clearly remember many of the standards or procedures myself, so I'm asking for help! Please post here or send me a private message. As I said this is for a college project and will not be a published piece, names can be kept confidential so long as you will allow me to use a printed copy of what we talk about as documentation.
(Meaning: Darksin: So what is the first step normally taken in the threat of some kind of natural disaster? PersonX'sName: Well you would....)

Thanks to everyone and anyone willing to help!

[hobie16]

The recent tsunami in Japan that hit Hawaii might be an example. When the tsunami sirens go off the proscribed procedure is, if you're in low lying areas, get to higher ground.

In reality, things are much different. When the sirens go off it's a signal to storm the grocery stores and buy as much water and toilet paper as possible, and completely clog the highways around all the gas stations.

The grocery stores and gas stations are in low lying areas.

[Darksin]

I can understand exactly what you mean, up here in PA I become amazed. If they forcast more then 4" of snow people freak out, storm the local stores and buy Bread/Milk/TP. I normally take a lot of pleasure in watching the chaos that happens.

I couldn't use Japan because someone else in the class has already called that idea and while there is good footage I may be able to use I can't base my project there. Plus I was trying to be a bit more original in my ideas

[mapo]

Hello Again!

What I am looking for is previous or current theme park employees who have experienced hurricane procedures or have knowledge of them. As well as any kind of disaster response or procedures. As I am trying to limit my own influence on the story as much as possible I'd like another persons experiences or perspectives! It's been well over ten years for myself and I cannot clearly remember many of the standards or procedures myself, so I'm asking for help! Please post here or send me a private message. As I said this is for a college project and will not be a published piece, names can be kept confidential so long as you will allow me to use a printed copy of what we talk about as documentation.
(Meaning: Darksin: So what is the first step normally taken in the threat of some kind of natural disaster? PersonX'sName: Well you would....)

Thanks to everyone and anyone willing to help!

As per Company policy and procedures, we will be unable to answer your questions publically or privately.

Publically we can all agree....

Disasters ===> We don't like them.

Procedure ===> Please follow cast directions and guidance in the midst of any type of emergency.

Have a Magical Day!

mapo

[hhsrat]

And after the hurricane >>> Clean up everything as best we can so it looks like nothing ever happened.

[MyLittleAngels]

I don't have any info regarding procedure, but we were living in New Orleans during Katrina, and my husband ran a major fan site for the park. We have lots of pictures of post-K damage, if that's something you might need. We could email some to you.

[Amphigorey]

I don't know what the current procedures are, and I can't give you many details, but I was at WDW during Hurricane Floyd as a guest. Floyd didn't come to Orlando, though there was some chance it would, and the parks were closed in anticipation of a possible hurricane.

Disney also sent letters to every hotel room which had instructions in case of emergency. I don't have the letter (it was a long time ago!), but what I remember is that it instructed us to stay away from windows during a storm and to fill the bathtub so we had access to water in case of emergency.

The only other thing I remember is that many of the windows on storefronts at Downtown Disney had tape to catch the glass in case of breakage.

I was working there for 9/11, but I happened to not be working that day, so again I didn't see much internal stuff. I know that guests were escorted out of all the parks, and I think most were given passes to return another day. Since the airports were shut down for a time, Disney extended free stays to those guests who were stranded, and in some cases moved them to better hotels.

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

We had the pleasure of weathering a hurricane while at WDW. I know that they "deployed" some CM's to stay at the hotel, and we had a list of instructions given to us that were pretty basic. (stay inside, etc.)

the staff of CM's were great, and we were comfortable and had food/water, etc. (I got some really good pictures out our window taken of the lagoon at the poly, looking toward the Grand Floridian, where the hotel is obscured by the rain. and of course, the ducks were on our patio, quacking a lot.

If you need some information, you might want to go to public agencies and get a copy of their disaster plan (public info!) as private companies may not want to disclose the information per a company policy.

having provided input on several incident oriented plans, I can tell you that by design, they like to keep them fairly broad in definition, instruction, and execution, so that on scene supervisors, etc are allowed to make decisions and use resources according to the situation.

good luck!

[WWWD]

As per Company policy and procedures, we will be unable to answer your questions publically or privately.

Publically we can all agree....

Disasters ===> We don't like them.

Procedure ===> Please follow cast directions and guidance in the midst of any type of emergency.

Have a Magical Day!

mapo

"We could tell you but we'd have to kill you."

[WWWD]

We got to ride the fringes of a hurricane while on the Wonder. It REALLY messed with the gingerbread house construction.

The automated shutters came down over the portholes, etc. Quite exciting. We made sure to put the kids down before the worst hit - they slept right through it.

My FIL was tossed out of bed and actually hit his head on a nightstand.