Preparing Your Warehouse for the Next Hurricane

Louise Stivers
November 06, 2024

Are Hurricanes Becoming Stronger?

We’re now in the middle of hurricane season, which typically runs from early June to the end of November. Hurricanes get their strength from the surface temperature of water. As the water warms, storms absorb energy from the water and become hurricanes. As climate change continues and ocean temperatures rise, hurricanes are becoming more frequent and more powerful. (You can learn more about hurricanes here: FEMA Hazards: Hurricane.)

Hurricane Helene has proven that you don’t need to live next to the coastline to be affected, as Asheville, North Carolina, a city 2,000 feet above sea level and around 300 miles away from the coastline, was impacted by torrential rain, leading to catastrophic damage.

There has been an increase of over 50% of major hurricanes (category 3 or above) since 1980. This is because of climate change. Hurricanes are also moving more slowly, which means that hurricanes on land last longer, giving them more time to produce damage. Damage from hurricanes can be caused by high wind speeds, surging flood waters, heavy rainfall, and even tornadoes. The majority of the damage caused by hurricanes is from flooding and powerful winds.

Supply Chain Impacts of Hurricanes

The high levels of damage due to hurricanes will result in a disrupted supply chain that impacts businesses and customers alike. Hurricanes disrupt the supply chain through infrastructure damage, including transportation and warehousing. Manufacturing facilities can be forced to shut down and there can be a shortage of labor to operate the facility. These disruptions can lead to increased costs of transportation and labor.

Could Your Warehouses Be Affected?

Businesses in hurricane-prone areas should review whether their warehouses are near coastal areas or in areas vulnerable to flooding. If so, they should consider how the warehouses have been constructed; for example, do they have gutters, drainage systems, hurricane-ready windows? Further, consider in what ways do your warehouses depend on electrical power for refrigeration of your products or for security systems.

How To Prepare Your Warehouse for the Next Hurricane

We’ve recently experienced two hurricanes, Helene and Milton, that have impacted businesses from Florida to North Carolina. We can be sure that there will be more hurricanes in the future. Here are some things to consider when developing a preparedness plan:

Secure computer and networking equipment; have backup power sources ready, get extra fuel for any auxiliary power generators.
Secure windows and doors to minimize impacts from wind and water.
Avoid placing essential, mission-critical equipment and inventory on the floor, to avoid possible damage from flooding.
Review your insurance coverage for damage and cleanup costs.
Take photos of your warehouses and equipment before the storm arrives. These photos could be useful for assessing the damage afterwards.
Coordinate with suppliers and clients to inform them of potential disruptions.
Secure your buildings and warehouses, reinforcing windows and doors to avoid breaking glass as well as impacts from rain, flood waters, and high winds.
Prepare for storm damage by reinforcing warehouses and elevating or relocating materials that could be damaged.
Have an emergency evacuation and communication plan for all your employees.
Closely monitor the storm’s path and progress, and follow evacuation warnings.
Keep data in the cloud, backup any data not stored in the cloud. An advantage of having a cloud-based solution (rather than an on-premise solution) is that you don't have to worry about hosting and running the systems on-premise, where they could be more vulnerable to events such as hurricanes.

How ShipHawk WMS Can Help You Prepare

ShipHawk is a cloud-based solution, so your data will be safe and secure during natural disasters or unexpected events. ShipHawk can also help you manage your preparations in additional ways, including:

Inventory Visibility: ShipHawk WMS can provide real-time visibility into your current inventory levels, helping you identify critical stock as a hurricane approaches.
Item Prioritization: ShipHawk WMS can help prioritize which items to move to safety based on importance, value, or demand.
Layout Optimization: ShipHawk WMS can help you optimize your warehouse layout for quick access to critical items, allowing for faster preparation and evacuation.
Damage Assessment: Post-storm, you can use ShipHawk WMS to help assess remaining inventory, track damaged goods, and manage restocking.
Supplier Coordination: Easily communicate with suppliers to expedite restocking of essential items after a disruption.
Fulfillment Strategy: With ShipHawk TMS coupled with the ShipHawk WMS, you can diversify your shipping carriers, and flexibly find the best options for fulfillment while some carriers might be delayed or temporarily unavailable.

By leveraging ShipHawk’s WMS, you can improve your warehouse's readiness for a hurricane, enhance safety measures, and facilitate a smoother recovery process afterward.