 |
| The windows in my office taped by the facilities team on Friday afternoon |
Hurricane Irene has come and gone. And while it wasn’t the storm for which we all vigorously prepared, it was a storm with far from inconsequential impact. There’s the loss of power to millions of people; the physical damage caused to tens of thousands of homes; the flooding of hundreds of neighborhoods, and the loss of lives—one of which is too many.
Living in Atlantic City, I was under a mandatory evacuation order. I “evacuated” to NYC, which was also in the storm’s path so, on the surface, not a true “escape.” But it meant that I was able to spend the entire weekend w/my husband—a rare occurrence—so I was willing to take my chances.
Working as an executive in Atlantic City, it also meant a rarely witnessed scenario—an entire shut-down of our casinos. For only the third time since gaming has been legalized in New Jersey, the casinos were out of commission. As of 4pm on Friday, our four properties were closed for business. Customers were evacuated. Staff was evacuated. Save for the few team members on the “essential persons” list, all employees were told to leave the property. After wrapping up around 4pm on Friday, I left the property, went home, packed my belongings, my Bugsy (my mountain lion aka my cat), and headed to NYC. Fast forward…
 |
| Bugsy (my mountain lion aka cat on the left) and Sasha (my sister’s cat on the right) not really getting along |
Wait…fast forward to what? What do I highlight?
Do I highlight that casinos re-opened today at 12pm and I returned to AC this morning to find my apartment flooded (boo) but the casino in good shape and virtually unscathed (yay)?
Or do I highlight that, throughout all of this (the pre-Irene planning, Irene crisis management, and post-Irene opening preparations), I actually wished I was more involved (beyond adjusting marketing calendars and communications)?
Surprising?
No.
I’ve long acknowledged that I have operator tendencies. I have a lean towards team development, employee engagement, service, process management, and problem solving. Hell, there is a reason why I decided at 12 years old that I wanted to study engineering after all. Hello???
Dear Irene,
Thanks for shedding some light on the last three months.
Forever grateful,
-j
PS: Darn, forgot to connect the dots w/the title: “Caesars Entertainment Corp. is offering a “Goodnight Irene” promotion at all four properties to lure people back to Atlantic City. Rooms will be priced starting at $59 Monday to Wednesday at all four properties.” (quoted in article today). Study long, study wrong. We will be in full effect Labor Day Weekend, people.
Leave a Reply