StormGeo, a 24/7 weather intelligence provider, recently held a “Climate Impacts” Summit with leading climate scientists and hurricane experts to address how businesses can better adapt to withstand future hurricane impacts.
“Strategically and tactically preparing for severe weather has always been a fundamental requirement for businesses. Those preparations are being challenged in new and unique ways by the changing climate. Being prepared for the risks posed by the past no longer guarantees success in the future,” said Don Shelly, managing director of StormGeo, Inc.
During the summit, Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, spoke about how inflation, wealth, and population patterns directly relate to the amount of damage caused by hurricanes. He also shared insights into the shifting weather patterns from El Niño to La Niña and their correlation to overall storm intensity and frequency. Dr. Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discussed how it’s imperative that we move away from historical data to predict weather and instead embrace advanced modeling techniques for more reliable forecasts.
“Both presentations underscored the sentiment that climate impacts are not a problem of the future; they are here now, and businesses must adapt their hurricane response plans to deal with them accordingly,” said Shelly.
A panel of business leaders from Entergy, T-Mobile and Raymond James also participated in the summit, sharing insights into how their respective companies have changed how they prepare and respond should a catastrophic event occur given the changes in climate.
The panel stressed having redundancy plans for suppliers and operations, annual drills to test and improve response plans, and a culture of preparedness as the keys to navigating an effective response to a catastrophic Category 4 or 5 hurricane.
T-Mobile utilizes StormGeo’s weather intelligence tools, including its Storm Impact Reports, which provide enterprise-level detail of major weather impacts to its business assets.
“In evaluating the vulnerability of our network before, during, and after a storm, the Storm Impact Report from StormGeo is a real game-changer,” said Jay Blessing, disaster recovery manager at T-Mobile. “It’s also vital to drill, drill, drill. Every year, we drill and upgrade our emergency operations plan. Every participant is run through the paces of executing the plan.”
Shelly added, “Businesses must be proactive in planning for weather-related events, which includes receiving the most accurate intelligence possible to assess vulnerabilities, protect assets, and invest in infrastructure.”
For more information about StormGeo and the Climate Summit, click here.
