What To Do if a Hurricane Derails Your Timesharing Plan

Co-parenting is hard. Co-parenting during a hurricane is even harder. A hurricane can have a significant impact on your ability to fulfill the responsibilities of your parenting plan. Hurricane planning is an issue that should be addressed in every South Florida parenting plan. Having a hurricane plan is especially important for co-parents with a high conflict partner.

Hurricane plans typically include a few different elements. The first is communication. During a hurricane, cell towers or internet service may go out, so specify multiple ways to try to communicate about changes in timesharing, such as cell phone, landline, email, or messaging apps. To be even more clear, you can list the order in which you will attempt each form of communication. If you are unable to reach your co-parent with any form of communication, it’s important to document this.

Another element is a contingency plan for timesharing. If one parent has significant damage to their home, no power, or needs to evacuate and the other parent does not, the other parent may end up having extra parenting time during the hurricane and its immediate aftermath. Typically, hurricane plans allow the parent who lost their timesharing to make up those days within a 60-day window.

A hurricane may also require that you evacuate with your child, adding another layer of complication. In this situation, you will want to immediately communicate this to the other parent. To minimize conflict during the evacuation, your hurricane plan should detail where you will evacuate – even listing multiple options in case your first or second choices are inaccessible. You may also want to detail how often and for how long you or your child will contact the other parent while they are evacuated. Many co-parents also include a reunification plan stating who will transport the child to the other parent if they have to temporarily relocate due to an evacuation.

During a hurricane, staying safe is the top priority. If you must violate your timesharing or hurricane plan to keep your child safe, document the reasons why. While every case is unique, the courts are generally sympathetic to reasonable hurricane disruptions, provided that the other co-parent is given make-up time shortly thereafter.

Having a hurricane plan as part of your parenting plan in Florida can help minimize conflict and make all parties feel more comfortable when a hurricane occurs. Troy Legal can help you amend your timesharing plan to include a hurricane plan or make any other modifications. Contact us to learn more.