The Lull Before the Storms: Businesses Should Test Hurricane Plans, Panel Says
The 2026 hurricane season may turn out to be a quiet one, as predicted by long-range forecasts this year. But that only means that businesses should have more time to review and rehearse their emergency plans before the next storm comes calling.
That was the message stressed Tuesday by safety leaders at some of Florida’s most critical—and most vulnerable—corporations: Florida Power & Light, Tampa General Hospital, and Tampa Electric Co.
“Test those plans. They look great on paper and may check all the boxes, but if you’re not testing them, they’re likely not going to work out,” said Erinn Skiba, senior director of public safety for Tampa General.
Skiba and other panelists spoke at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Safety Council webinar on hurricane preparedness and recovery. Testing preparedness plans, the panelists said, involves tabletop exercises, drills and dress rehearsals of major incidents so that employees and officers all know their roles and their options when something goes wrong.
All of that may help reduce losses and insurance claims, including property, business interruption and even workers’ compensation claims.
Tampa General Hospital officials and employees know all too well about the importance of storm readiness. The hospital is built on an island in Tampa Bay, just feet above sea level. In 2019, the hospital began adding AquaFence flood barriers around the main facility. And the barriers have worked well, passing a real-world test and holding back 5 feet of storm surge during Hurricane Helene in 2024, said Tony Venezia, vice president of public safety at the hospital.
“But some of the things we took from that was how many other outbuildings that we have and that we need to protect them, too,” he said.
The panelists offered other lessons and best practices for companies in the potential path of a hurricane or other event:
Employees: Work closely with employees to ensure that they and their families are fully prepared to face a major storm. Workers work better when they know their own families are safe, Skiba said.
Communicate: Provide regular updates to workers before, during and after the event. Information is almost always incomplete at all stages of an event, but company leaders should be open and honest about that and should share what information they have. Set up and test communication redundancy for when telephone systems go down.
Be seen on-site. During previous hurricanes, Tampa General executives served food to workers, making themselves available to answer questions about operations. Florida Power & Light leadership donned hard hats and went to some of the hardest-hit areas immediately after the storm had passed. Leaders should know the plan but also should be able to adapt quickly when circumstances change or systems shut down.
Transportation: Have backup transportation plans vetted and rehearsed in case roads or bridges are closed.
Supplies: Have extra amounts of critical supplies on hand before a storm hits. And know that vendors and partners may not recover at the same pace, potentially slowing delivery of supplies and materials. Ask vendors about their own preparations and help them devise work-arounds, said Ibiza Murphy, director of emergency preparedness for Florida Power & Light.
Analyze: Consider the use of artificial intelligence programs to analyze all aspects of preparedness and recovery. Examine a range of data to see the impact that storms can have on operations. Think about hiring a dedicated emergency manager to coordinate preparation and response. Share best practices and lessons learned with others.
Weather: Keep team members focused on how a storm may impact local operations, not on “doom and gloom” predictions for other parts of the state or region.
Tweak: Businesses may believe they have strong storm plans in place. But things change. Technology advances. Company leaders should examine preparedness and recovery programs every year and tweak them as needed, Venezia said.