Preparing for Hurricane Season 2025

International SOS Calls for Urgent Preparedness to Safeguard Lives and Businesses Ahead of Active Hurricane Season

1 June marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season in the United States and the season is predicted to have above-normal activity. Major hurricanes are expected to make landfall in both the United States and the Caribbean this year. International SOS urges organisations to remain vigilant in anticipation of these potentially destructive natural disasters, and to proactively prepare to protect workforces and business operations.

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

Given the severity of the ongoing natural disasters, this hurricane season is poised to bring significant challenges, with major storms likely to make landfall. We are anticipating 13-18 named storms and nine major hurricane days will take place during the 2025 season and three to five hurricanes will reach a major storm status of Category 3 or higher.

Organisations that fail to prepare effectively for extreme weather risk not only their people’s safety but also the stability of their operations. Now more than ever, businesses must take proactive steps to strengthen their crisis management plans, ensuring continuity and resilience in the face of these seasonably-predictable threats to employee wellbeing, infrastructure, and business operations.

International SOS’ 2025 Risk Outlook report showed that over half of the organisations surveyed reported direct impacts from natural disasters in 2024. Additionally, the International SOS Foundation Extreme Weather Report found that while some companies have developed plans for severe weather, a significant number still fall short in addressing the human impact. A quarter of organisations surveyed with existing emergency response policies report that these plans do not account for employee health risks, potentially leaving their workforce vulnerable to illness, injury, or worse during a crisis.

Josh Dozor, General Manager of Medical and Security Assistance at International SOS, saidThe 2024 Hurricane Season illustrated the risks that are also present to communities located far from the coast due to riverine flooding that may not be as familiar or aware of their risks from hurricanes.

For instance, despite Hurricane Helene making landfall along the coast of Florida as a major hurricane, much of the most substantial damage was experienced in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. It isolated some communities for weeks and necessitated urgent response measures by local authorities and International SOS. The weeks leading up to hurricane season present a critical window for action. Now is the time for leaders across all at-risk communities to review, test and communicate their extreme weather plans and consider their support structure for affected employees and families.

International SOS has been providing security and health expertise for 40 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. Educating your workforce on the necessary supplies required for hurricane shelter-in-place or evacuation, including food, water, personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitisers and disinfectants.
2. Being prepared to suspend operations and travel to at-risk locations for periods of one week or longer.
3. Assessing evacuation options to include shelter and transport. If evacuation options are limited, identify shelter-in-place plans.
4. Establishing appropriate thresholds for determining when to evacuate or relocate personnel and having a clear structure in place to communicate these measures throughout your organisation.
5. Accounting 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.
6. Developing pre-scripted messages and test means of mass notification to ensure functionality of messaging prior to an emergency.
7. 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.
8. Ensure mental health and wellbeing support is available to employees in the aftermath of extreme weather events.

In advance of hurricane season, International SOS has also launched a new Digital Learning Portfolio focused on natural disasters, as part of its Workforce Resilience offering. This latest release includes five engaging microlearning modules designed to help individuals prepare for a range of natural disasters, including tropical storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and extreme heat. The modules deliver essential, actionable guidance to enhance preparedness and strengthen overall workforce resilience.