Preparing for Hurricane Season 2024

Amidst an anticipated volatile hurricane season in the U.S., it's crucial for organisations to prioritise readiness. Preparation and employee communications are imperative as this season could disrupt operations and resilience, impacting both employees and organisational continuity.

Due to a warmer than average season, we can expect at least one major hurricane to make landfall, which would make 2024 an active season with potential lasting impacts. Hurricanes are not exclusive to the United States coastline and the Caribbean as the impacts such as extensive flooding are experienced far inland. All of these communities should have plans in place to prepare their personnel, infrastructure, and supply chain needs.

International SOS’ 2024 Risk Outlook report stated that 62% of businesses have identified natural disasters as the primary threat likely to affect both their operations and staff; coming in second to extreme weather conditions, which 72% of organisations listed as a top threat. The effect of hurricanes on businesses can have negative consequences and may result in delays to orders, chain-supply complications, and general distaste from consumers towards an organisation. It’s important for leaders to have thorough plans in place to avoid any complications and ensure their businesses run smoothly and their employees are safe, even in the midst of a natural disaster.

Julian Moro, Senior Vice President and Regional Security Director of International SOS, said

Since this hurricane season is expected to be more active than previous years, organisations need to take the precautions necessary to ensure business continuity and employee safety. There are plenty of resources available that can help businesses formulate full-fledged plans, inclusive of procedures like evacuation and relocation measures so that their workforces have the tools and knowledge they need to stay safe during any potential natural disaster.

International SOS has been providing security and health expertise for more than 35 years, safeguarding organisations with the right support to alleviate complications in the face of disaster.

Some steps organisations can take to best prepare for these situations include:

1. Identify locations and facilities based on the probabilities of hurricane impact using historical geographic data.
2. Educate your workforce on the necessary supplies required for hurricane shelter-in-place or evacuation, to include food, water, personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitisers and disinfectants.
3. Be prepared to suspend operations at, and travel to, at-risk locations for periods of a week or more.
4. Assess evacuation options to include shelter and transport. Where evacuation options are limited, identify shelter-in-place plans.
5. Establish appropriate thresholds for determining when to evacuate or relocate personnel and have a clear structure in place to communicate these measures throughout your organisation.
6. Account for access disruption to include enabling employees to have the capability and equipment to work remotely/from home. Anticipate potential disruption to power and communications.
7. Develop pre-scripted messages and test means of mass notification to ensure functionality of messaging prior to an emergency.
8. Consider a table-top exercise to test your organisation's crisis management and business continuity plans, reinforce roles and responsibilities, and identify any areas for improvement ahead of time.