U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Advanced Manufacturing Office – Hurricane Ready

Facts & Figures

  • The 2005 hurricane season caused more than $21 billion in estimated total damages.

  • That damage included $5 billion in commercial losses.

Benefits of Planning and Preparing

  • Manufacturers in hurricane-prone areas can benefit—and help save lives—by planning and preparing now.

  • Planning helps operators understand when and how to shut down operations and start them up again.

  • Being prepared can minimize downtime, facilitate restarts, reduce property losses, and minimize damage to assets and records.

On these pages, DOE's Advanced Manufacturing Office provides basic information and links to help businesses and industrial plant personnel prepare for hurricane season and avoid catastrophic damage.

Is Your Plant Prepared for a Hurricane?

A 2-page fact sheet titled, Is Your Plant Prepared for a Hurricane?PDF, provides more information on planning and preparing.

Manufacturing facilities and other businesses that effectively plan and prepare to meet the multiple challenges of high winds, flooding, loss of power, and infrastructure disruptions find they can often minimize damage to their assets. And they can save lives.

Although each storm is different, it is important to know your plant's vulnerabilities and how to reduce them. First, assess your plant's current situation, including your insurance coverage. Then, start formulating plans for preparing your facility; obtaining emergency backup power, supplies, and replacement parts; coordinating evacuations; and shutting down and restarting operations. Be sure to take advantage of all federal, state, and local resources that can help you plan and prepare.

We welcome you to browse this Web site to learn more about hurricane preparation. Several excellent Web resources include the following: