AUGUST 4, 2025 – Whether at work or at home, you should always have a plan for the Hurricane Season. With the season running from June 1 to November 30, a total of up to 19 total named storms are predicted for 2025. Heading into the peak months of the season, it is important for Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) personnel to be prepared, at work as well as at home.
The first thing they’re going to need to do is really understand their department or code’s destructive weather plan,” said Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Emergency Management Specialist Planner Josh Pivac, Emergency Management and Planning Division (Code 1130). “The plan is going to give them all the directions and actions that they need to take to prepare their code.”
Preparing an office for destructive weather is much different than preparing the waterfront.
“It’s always good to know what actions your code is responsible for and also, if your code can support another code as a storm approaches,” said Pivac. “There’s a lot of coordination and communication but understanding what your code or shop’s responsibilities are during an approaching storm is key to NNSY’s mission success and provided in the destructive weather plans.”
As shipyard personnel review these plans, they should take note of what areas their code or shop is responsible for.
“A lot of time when preparing for a destructive weather (DW) event, valuable time is lost walking through different areas of the shipyard and addressing deficiencies. This is due to the areas not being properly policed throughout the year,” said Code 1130 Emergency Planning and Management Deputy Nathan Chviek. “So, a big part of preparing for a storm is policing those areas year-round, so you understand that if a storm comes, these are the things that need to be taken care of.”
Shipyard personnel should review their spaces frequently for potential missile hazards and ask themselves questions like “how I’m going to tie this piece of equipment down?”, and “what can’t I safely relocate?” and find ways to mitigate those hazards.
Having a plan for your home is just as important as having one at work.
“We want you to have a plan for your family, because if you are asked to stay behind [to support essential shipyard operations], we want you to be sure that your family is safe,” said Pivac. “You need to be in the right mindset to focus on work.”
“If your mind is focused on your family and you’re worried about their safety, you may try to rush through things,” said Pivac. “You may hurt yourself or somebody else.”
Pivac continued, “At NNSY, we want to make sure you have a plan at home so you can have peace of mind, and you’re ready to execute the preparedness actions at the shipyard.”
There are several resources available to help you develop a plan for your family and put together an emergency kit:
- https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane-plan
- https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/hurricanes
- https://www.vaemergency.gov/threats/hurricanes
- https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Hurricane-Preparedness/
- https://magellanascend.com/Content/View/15153 (free emergency kit available through the Department of the Navy Civilian Employee Assistance Program)
“Make sure you have a plan for your family and pets,” said Code 1130 Emergency Management Division Head Gibby Sorrell. “It’s important for people at home to have their emergency kit ready and prepare for each member of your family including pets. Additionally, make sure you have all needed medications.”
Sorrell continued, “Know where you’re going to relocate to ahead of the storm and ensure you can bring pets with you.”
A big part of prepping for a storm is having a team of both Naval Support Activity-Portsmouth and shipyard volunteers onsite to evaluate the installation and shipyard before, during and after a storm. The Flood Wall Team (Code 900F.3) is usually the first group to sign up.
“We’re not just going to install the flood wall because the storm is coming,” said Pivac. “We determine the installation of the wall based on flood water levels.”
“The process of planning for a storm requires significant communication between the flood wall team and the waterfront workforce,” said Pivac. “Industrial Equipment Mechanical Supervisor Dennis Cross and his team are a solid crew and always do a phenomenal job.”
If you volunteer to come in during a hurricane, the shipyard will provide cots, water, and Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MREs).
“For me personally, if I volunteered to ride out the storm, I’d bring a good supply of my own personal snacks, water, drinks, as well as a few days’ worth of clothes and toiletries,” said Chviek. “We anticipate it’s probably going to be 48 to 72 hours minimum before the area has become safe enough to start getting additional people into the shipyard.”
It takes everyone working together before the storm to help the installation and shipyard position themselves for success to continue to meet their missions after the storm.
“It’s an all hands-on-deck approach when preparing for hurricane season and personnel have to remember we go into prepping by putting the mission first,” said Sorrell. “We have to keep our focus all the way through until the storm passes.”
If you have any questions regarding destructive weather preparation at the shipyard, please reach out via email to Code 1130 at nnsy_code_1130@us.navy.mil.
Story by Susanne Greene
Norfolk Naval Shipyard