Almost 300 club employees from all departments cleared debris and trees from the Savannah, Ga., club’s grounds and 91 miles of roadways after the October 7 storm, allowing most club amenities to reopen by October 17. Club members also donated a total of $90,000 to the Employee Needs Fund, which helps employees experiencing unexpected financial hardship.
Due to Georgia’s curved coastline and fewer miles of coast than neighbors Florida and South Carolina, the state has remained relatively unscathed by hurricanes during the past century. As Hurricane Matthew began making its way up the East Coast on October 7, staff and members of The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga., began the necessary evacuation preparations.
“It was a mess, with trees down at every turn,” said Steven Freund, Executive Director. “We were thrilled to learn that no serious injuries were reported and no tidal flooding, but we weren’t sure ‘how bad’ the damage truly was, since no one could drive more than 100 yards in any direction without a fallen tree creating an impasse.”
Members of the club’s engineering team began clearing pathways to their facilities, working in tandem with the homeowner’s association at The Landings. The teams cleared the roadways of hundred-year-old live oaks and pine trees, concentrating their effort in one area at a time, working to clear 91 miles of roadways.
“While we were shocked by the extent of the wind damage, we literally shouted for joy when we realized no structures on our island flooded and Skidaway Island withstood the very worst the storm could dish out,” said Freund.
With power out, powerlines down, and unsafe conditions created by downed and damaged trees, Freund and the management team began to worry about staff members and their ability to return to the work that supports their families.
“There were thousands of trees down on our six golf courses, the courses that more than 120 staff members put tedious effort into maintaining with championship standards,” said Freund. “We knew this would take not only a physical toll on our people to restore, but an emotional and mental toll as well as thousands of man hours of work were destroyed overnight.”
With crews working around the clock to clear the roadways of debris and trees, the island was deemed safe for re-entry on October 10. Freund met with other directors, and the group agreed on a way to both get employees working again and help return club grounds and operations to normal. They issued an “all hands on deck” appeal to club staff; all employees who were safe to do so were asked to come to work on Tuesday dressed and ready to work outdoors until further notice.
On October 11-13, almost 300 employees from all departments worked together to rake, blow, sweep, clean and pick up debris to get the grounds clean and member-ready.
“I was floored by our employees’ dedication to our members and our club,” said Freund. “Directors and our Board of Governors marveled at the way everyone worked selflessly and supported one another toward our shared goal to get our club operational again as quickly as possible; but it was the enthusiasm and positivity our people displayed as they went about their work that emotionally affected us the most and honestly helped us get through this difficult time.”
By October 12, as power was restored and campuses were cleaned, club amenities began opening one by one, with Freund in constant communication with members about the progress. Most areas of the club, including the 48,000-sq. ft. wellness center, the court sports campus and several clubhouses were open by October 14; and by Monday, October 17, just over one week after the storm hit, all club operations except for the golf courses were reopened.
“While I wouldn’t wish this kind of hardship on anyone, I could honestly say that I’ve never been a part of a group as selfless, caring and close-knit as we have here at The Landings Club,” said Freund. “The worst in the storm brought out the best in our staff and members, and I feel confident that any of our 450+ employees or 3,000+ members would agree.”
Meanwhile, the Board of Governors issued a call to all members for donations to the club’s Employee Needs Fund, established a few years ago by the Board to help employees experiencing unexpected financial hardship. Applications for assistance are thoroughly vetted and must be endorsed by the employee’s supervisor. Before the storms, the fund had a negative balance and three requests could not be fulfilled. Within a few days of this plea, the fund grew to over $90,000 as member donations came pouring in.
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