Hurricanes Don't Wait.
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There are probably way more emergency situations than you realize. So before I get into the why, when, and how of making the most of your time before, during, and after a crisis, let’s discuss what incidents could negatively affect your business.
Do you know about all 12 types of natural disasters? Depending on where your company is located (or has locations), you could experience more than one of these events in any given year.
In addition to the list of nature’s fury above, we also need to consider other crises such as local outbreaks. Compounding our risks are man-made disasters like chemical spills, industrial accidents, and terrorist attacks.
And yet there’s more, because we also have to think about large-scale incidents like plane crashes, building collapses, and nuclear accidents, along with humanitarian emergencies for displaced disaster evacuees, and global pandemics.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers a variety of information about many types of emergency incidents, as well as general preparedness and response info. Here, we’re going to focus on the paramount nature of time.
Before reading on, should you need a proactive plan from a trusted expert, give us a call at (855) 420-9447. For now, it’s about time we talk about time.
Without having a proactive emergency management plan in place and a crisis occurs, your business could miss out on:
Managing time effectively pre-, during, and post-emergency can help the productivity of each of these areas of your business.
When it comes to catastrophes, there are two essential transportation solutions to ensure are in place by your logistics partner: high-performance transport and highly flexible shipping.
With high-performing transport, hotshot deliveries to state and federal response teams may be necessary. There also could be a need for last-mile distribution of alternate food supplies to retailers.
As for flexible shipping, you’ll want to ensure critical goods can be rerouted. It’s also important that your emergency management logistics provider thoroughly understands which transportation routes are triaged to support both first responders and their aid delivery.
Consider some of the most recent disasters in US history. I’ve shared them below for your convenience.
April and May of this year have been fraught with an array of natural disasters here in the US. Just covering the latest three per the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri have been hit hard.
All four locations have experienced straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding, while Kentucky also experienced landslides and mudslides. These situations absolutely require a rapid logistics response on multiple levels: personal, community, and business.
With hurricane season upon us and the unpredictability of not just the season, but also each tropical storm and cyclone, it’s prudent to be as prepared as possible. Remember, hurricanes can cause a host of other issues too; some being more natural disasters like:
To keep an eye on current disasters across the country, FEMA offers Current Disaster Response tracking. You can even search your location for state of emergency information.
Every moment counts concerning catastrophes, so knowing the difference between time-critical logistics and critical logistics matters. Essentially, time-critical logistics solutions focus on delivering with urgency.
There are extremely tight deadlines involved that absolutely must be met. Some non-crisis examples include organ transplant and urgent medication delivery in healthcare. These are examples of TCF, time-critical freight.
Whereas critical logistics solutions focus on the importance and security of the shipment itself. Think highly sensitive documents and prototype shipments.
With hurricane season here, rapid response shipping and delivery is key. Did you know? Category ratings used when projecting the impact of these major catastrophic storms are only based on wind speeds. All the other ways hurricanes can do damage are not included in the equation.
There’s also the frequency with which meteorologic experts miscategorize hurricanes when they make their projections. While meteorology is a science, when it comes to nature, it’s simply not a concrete science.
That said, in the event of an emergency, are you good to go with getting all necessary goods, whether for the crisis itself or for business continuity? If not, learn how to find alternate suppliers here.
There are three scenarios in which having a rapid response supply chain will benefit your company:
In the case of high demand volatility, let’s say there’s a regional flu spike causing the need for emergency shipments of anti-viral medicine.
Whereas, when there’s a short product lifecycle, the quicker, the better. If there’s an immense wildfire, bear in mind that communication is key. Thus, wildfire-specific signage and communication materials must be prepared, shipped, and delivered ASAP.
In the aftermath of an emergency situation, dealing with long replenishment times also becomes a factor. Let’s say a massive hurricane hits multiple states, causing extended loss of power, both coastal and inland flooding, among other terrible outcomes.
There could also be one or more port closures, railways blocked, etc. Waiting for lengthy periods on high-priority items should be a no-go, especially when there are emergency management experts to help you plan and prepare.
Having your organization prepared with time-critical logistics solutions means you’ll be ready with a rapid response supply chain paired with time-critical cargo logistics. You’ll be able to focus on what matters most: your team, clients, assets, and quick recovery.
As a private company, you may experience any or all of these fall-outs from a catastrophe:
Government agencies also experience impacts, such as the call for securing deliveries of emergency medications and equipment ahead of a natural disaster.
While in the wake of a crisis, non-profits (NPOs) may need to both arrange shipment and delivery of relief supplies at pre-set staging areas, as well as the gathering and delivering of them to local communities.
Regardless which entity, being prepared and using time as wisely as possible are vital to overcome the unknown ramifications of an emergency situation. In addition to being as prepared as possible in advance, you can also learn about “Post Hurricane Recovery for Business and Commerce”.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”—Benjamin Franklin
With a clear crisis logistics plan supported by your trusted partners at Emergency Management Logistics, you can bridge the gap between emergencies and effective response.
Make sure time is on your side in any catastrophe by contacting the experts online.
For more about how to alleviate emergency overwhelm and so much more, check out these services:
If you prefer to get the ball rolling more quickly on your disaster preparedness planning, you can also call us at (855) 420-9447. Tap into emergency management expertise for your exclusive needs.
Remember, hurricanes don’t wait. Talk to our crisis logistics team before the next storm hits.
This article was prepared to help educate business owners, C-suite teams, and operational managers about emergency preparedness due to catastrophes of all kinds. It was scheduled to publish prior to the tragic flooding in Texas that occurred this past weekend, starting in the early morning of July 4, 2025.
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families, communities, and businesses facing unimaginable challenges.
At this time, our focus—and we hope the focus of the broader community—is on supporting the ongoing rescue, relief, and recovery efforts. While the timing of this article is purely coincidental, our hope is that its content may, in some small way, will help organizations plan for the unexpected and build greater resilience for the future.