Other precautions to avert or reduce the severity of hurricane damage and to prevent 

 injury include: (a) removing all loose or fragile items to a protected area, (b) opening a 

 window or door on the lee side of each building to balance pressures, (c) preparing all 

 emergency equipment and vehicles for immediate use, (d) tightening or reinforcing the 

 mooring Unes of all berthed craft, (e) lashing racked dinghys or other small dry -stored boats 

 that cannot be moved indoors, (f) devising a system of lifelines for harbor personnel who 

 must check the installation during the storm, and (g) disconnecting all electrical appliances 

 not needed during the emergency. 



d. Fire. The use of noncombustible materials in as many components of a harbor as 

 possible is the best precaution against fire damage, but economic considerations often 

 prevent doing this. The need for adequate firefighting facilities has already been mentioned. 

 It is important, however, that everyone concerned know how to use them, especially the 

 harbor security and maintenance staff. Certain regulations should be posted and enforced 

 such as prohibiting use of charcoal burners on wooden decks and smoking at fuel docks. 

 Extension cords should be checked periodically for signs of insulation failure. During the 

 harbor planning phase, the local fire chief should be consulted about fire safety that could 

 be incorporated in the design. An occasional visit by a fire department inspector after the 

 harbor is operating may uncover fire haz,ards. 



e. Oil Spills. Large oil spills within a small-craft harbor are unusual, but outside oil spills 

 that move into the berthing area can create a major problem. If the harbor has a narrow 

 entrance, a simple method of keeping the oil out is to release a continuous curtain of air 

 bubbles from the bottom all the way across the entrance. The bubbles set up a local forced 

 convection current system that moves the surface water away from the curtain in both 

 directions and returns it at the bottom. Because oil remains on the surface and cannot pass 

 the screen against the current, boats can pass through without upsetting the barrier action. 



Once spilled oil enters the harbor, however, removal must be done mechanically or 

 hydraulically. Floating booms have been designed with which large areas of oil shck can be 

 encircled or guided into an unused part of the harbor. Oil skimmers then suck up most of 

 the oil into containers. The remainder is removed by the straw-absorption process. The U.S. 

 Coast Guard has been working on this problem for several years and has developed various 

 means of removing spilled oil that are suitable for different situations, and should be 

 contacted whenever an oil slick threatens to penetrate the harbor. 



/. Floods. The danger of flood damage is present only at harbors on or near a river. 

 Harbors on the river usually have floating docks, designed so that the anchorages are secure 

 at any elevation of the water surface. Because steep-gradient streams are poor cruising 

 courses, most riverside marinas are on the sluggish segments of rivers as they pass through 

 flat valleys. For this reason, flood damage is usually in the form of accumulations of debris 

 and colhsions of floating objects with structures. Therefore, berthing areas must be sheltered 

 from the main current so that floating debris during floods will stay clear of the entrance. In 



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