While you have been focusing on the H1N1 virus, hurricane season has snuck back for 2009. This week, May 24 through 30, has been declared Hurricane Preparedness Week by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.

So it's time to dust off your weather emergency plans, with good help available at www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml and www.hurricanes.gov/prepare , as well as from your state department of emergency preparedness.

One company that has learned from previous hurricane experiences, NuStar, shared its experiences with BLR's Best Practices in HR. The San Antonio-based company, which has 8,491 miles of pipeline, 82 terminal facilities, four crude-oil storage tank facilities, and two asphalt refineries, has a hurricane plan for each of its facilities along the Gulf and East coasts.

Each spring, company officials discuss lessons learned from the previous hurricane season and conduct a hurricane drill, says Mike Burgett, vice president of Strategic Sourcing for NuStar.

NuStar holds safety meetings to discuss how employees can prepare at home including creating a “72-hour kit” with basic necessities, he says.

The company's Human Resources department keeps employees' home and cell phone numbers on file, and when a hurricane is imminent, asks where they will be during the storm, how the company can contact them afterwards, and whether they need the company to book a hotel room for them and their families out of the area, says Bob Grimes, vice president of Human Resources. HR also distributes a toll-free number for employees to call for post-storm updates.

Last year, Hurricane Ike was the biggest storm to affect NuStar. As the hurricane headed toward Corpus Christi , the company started implementing its hurricane plan for its terminal there. However, when Ike suddenly changed course, NuStar shifted its attention to its Texas City Terminal and nearby Houston facilities, Burgett says.

A handful of employees rode out the middle-of-the-night storm near Texas City , and by daybreak, employees from other NuStar facilities arrived to help with recovery efforts, Burgett says. Although the Texas City terminal sustained a “very significant amount of damage,” the company split the recovery crews into two groups--some to work at the terminal and others to help returning employees clear downed trees from their yards, put company-provided tarps over their damaged roofs, etc. “We need them to be secure in their homes before we can expect them to work safely in our facilities.”

HR contacted every employee and learned that everyone was safe, according to Grimes. And as supplies in employees' 72-hour kits started to run out, NuStar trucked in more supplies, ranging from “socks to food to diapers to--you name it,” he says.

NuStar also delivered food and fuel (for vehicles and company-provided generators) to employees' homes. Some employees volunteered to distribute food and supplies at the terminal and, for about 10 days, prepared two hot meals daily for about 125 employees, contractors, Port Authority workers, and police officers assigned to the area, Burgett says.

All employees continued to receive their normal pay, and those who returned early received overtime, he says.

Many wanted to return before the company was ready for them. “Every morning, we asked people not to come to Texas City because we didn't even have restrooms,” Burgett says, noting that everyone was back in less than 2 weeks.

Employees were amazed at the outpouring of generosity from NuStar and relief agencies. As a result, all Texas City employees now contribute to the United Way and many spend more time volunteering in their communities, he says.

NuStar also saw “a flood of résumés” after Ike, including some police officers who witnessed NuStar's efforts to help employees.

This year, NuStar was ranked 44th on FORTUNE 's 100 Best Companies to Work For list and named the top large company on Texas Monthly magazine's Best Companies to Work for in Texas list.

Preparing for the Worst

If you have facilities in a hurricane-prone area, it is important to adopt a hurricane plan and make sure every employee understands his or her role in carrying it out. Here are some additional tips:

• Compile contact information. Find out where employees plan to ride out the storm and how you can contact them afterwards.
• Help employees plan ahead. “Families need to be aware that--probably for 72 hours or better--they are on their own,” after a hurricane, Burgett says.
• Address employee needs. Understand that employees whose homes have been damaged or destroyed may not be prepared to fully concentrate on work.