Information and Advice in a Natural Disaster
The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season was forecast to produce an above-average number of storms due to high ocean temperatures. Nevertheless, the season started slowly due to persistent La Nina conditions and an extremely dry atmospheric, warranting a reduction in the forecast in September. But a small tropical disturbance in the Caribbean on 23 September quickly intensified into Ian, a major hurricane, over western Cuba and threatened the west coast of Florida.
Challenge
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a strong Category 4 storm presenting very high storm surge along vulnerable gulf coast communities with catastrophic effects to the local infrastructure.
Solution
At the early stages of the hurricane formation, International SOS’s regional Crisis Management Team in Philadelphia convened in anticipation of potential requests of assistance. Client messaging was established, and an Incident Management Team deployed to the area providing valuable intelligence, public affairs media, and liaison with essential security providers.