Hurricane Best Practices for Your Supply Chain

Hurricane Michael is approaching Florida via the Gulf Coast, threatening to rise from its current Category 1 status before making landfall on Wednesday. Just like with last month's Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, Michael is going to bring storm surge, heavy rains, and severe winds throughout the state. A state of emergency has already been declared in 26 counties, and residents and businesses in the storm's path are on high alert. We wanted to remind you of some operational best practices to keep in mind while preparing your supply chain for the worst. 

• Recognize that there is a big gap in weather forecasts and actionable information — the ultimate best practice is to err on the side of caution, always.
• Weather charts and forecasts can underestimate impact. Prepare for the worst. Create models and scales customized to your supply chain’s potential impact, to help your teams and at-risk supply chain locations better visualize the risk.
• Storm surges make headlines, but they are just the beginning of potentially weeks of compromised delivery routes and warehouse operations. Mitigate this as much as possible by moving at-risk inventory to strategic locations.
• Get support from the logistics community. The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) helps businesses coordinate warehousing, transportation, and logistics aid during natural disasters.
• Keep abreast of forecasts: predictive technology for storm surge models and other weather systems have been upgraded in the last decade, and the hurricane center’s public warning systems have also significantly improved.  
• Transparency is key: master your information and rally your troops. Staying proactive is still the best approach. For a more detailed rundown of what to do, revisit our disaster guide here.