Storm Season 2026: Is Your Utility's Recovery Plan Ready?

Time-Sensitive: Atlantic Hurricane Season Runs June 1 – November 30
NOAA's 2026 outlook calls for a below-average season — but the agency has been clear that a quieter forecast doesn't mean a quieter risk for any one utility. If your BCP hasn't been reviewed since last season, it may not reflect your current operations, personnel, or equipment. The time to fix that is now.

An Honest Question for Utility Operators

When was the last time you actually read your business continuity plan? Not filed it away, not referenced it during an audit — actually read it, walked through it operationally, and asked: if a major storm hit tonight, would this document help my team know exactly what to do?

For most utility operators, the honest answer is uncomfortable. The plan exists. It was thorough when it was written. But it hasn't been tested, and it hasn't been updated since the last major personnel change, equipment upgrade, or vendor transition. It's a historical document masquerading as an operational one.

This op-ed is a direct challenge to utility operations leaders: do not enter the 2026 storm season with a BCP you haven't reviewed this year. The cost of that gamble is too high.

What Good Storm Preparedness Actually Looks Like

Utilities that respond to major weather events most effectively share a set of operational characteristics that go well beyond having a written plan. They have plans that are exercised, understood, and embedded in their operational culture.

72-96 Hours Before Landfall — Activation & Staging

Incident command activated. Mutual aid requests sent. Pre-positioned equipment and crews per BCP protocols. Customer communication pre-approved and staged for release. Vendor emergency contacts verified.

24-48 Hours Before — Full Readiness Posture

All hands on deck per BCP roster. Emergency operations center activated. Regulator and government liaison contacts notified. Customer outage portal ready. All critical system backups verified.

During Event — Incident Management

Incident command executing per BCP. Damage assessment teams staged. Customer communications deployed per templates. Mutual aid crews integrated. Real-time status to regulators and officials.

Recovery Phase — Systematic Restoration

Restoration priorities per BCP protocols (critical infrastructure first). Customer communication updates per schedule. Documentation for regulatory reporting underway. After-action review scheduled.

Your 2026 Storm Season Readiness Checklist

Operations & Personnel

• Emergency contact tree verified within last 60 days — All key personnel, mutual aid coordinators, and vendor emergency contacts confirmed current. (Critical)
• Incident command structure documented and trained — Named ICS roles with backup designations; all personnel have reviewed their roles. (Critical)
• Mutual aid agreements current and contacts verified — All mutual aid partner contacts confirmed; activation procedures documented. (Important)

Communications

• Customer communication templates pre-approved — Outage notifications, restoration updates, and safety messages ready to deploy. (Critical)
• Regulator and official notification protocols confirmed — State PUC, emergency management, elected officials — contacts and timelines documented. (Important)
• Backup communication systems tested — Satellite phone, radio, or alternative systems verified operational. (Important)

Equipment & Infrastructure

• Emergency equipment inventory documented and inspected — Generators, vehicles, tools, materials — quantities and locations current. (Important)
• Restoration priority list current — Critical infrastructure customers (hospitals, water, emergency services) identified and mapped. (Critical)

The Bottom Line

Storm season doesn't negotiate timelines. The next major weather event will not wait for you to update your BCP, verify your contact lists, or schedule a tabletop exercise. It will arrive when it arrives — and your utility will respond with the plan it has, not the plan it intended to have.

The utilities that serve their communities well during crises are the ones that did the unglamorous, unsexy work of planning, testing, and updating before the emergency arrived. That work is available to you right now. The question is whether you'll do it before storm season does it for you.