Released May 09, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
en
Written by Aaron Studwell for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--During the 2025 Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 5-9), energy companies along the U.S. Gulf Coast try to prepare for storms well before one is named. From offshore rigs to petrochemical plants, the Gulf region is a vital hub of America's energy infrastructure. With several meteorological outlets predicting an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, the need for robust, proactive planning has never been more critical.
Click on the image at right for a satellite photo of Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas and Louisiana in August 2017.
The Gulf Coast's Strategic Importance
The Gulf Coast accounts for nearly half of U.S. refining capacity and more than 15% of total crude oil production. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama host an intricate network of refineries, petrochemical complexes, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and offshore platforms. This regional concentration brings efficiency and scale, but it increases the sector's vulnerability. When a hurricane hits the Gulf, its effects ripple far beyond the coastline--disrupting fuel supplies, damaging infrastructure, and impacting global energy markets.
Preparedness is a Year-Round Endeavor
Energy companies with Gulf Coast assets should maintain comprehensive hurricane preparedness plans that are reviewed regularly and updated in coordination with local, state and federal agencies. Still, Hurricane Preparedness Week is an important time to review readiness with a fresh lens. Preparedness isn't just about evacuation and shutdown procedures--it includes supply chain resilience, personnel safety protocols, cybersecurity measures and robust communication strategies.
Operational Readiness and Scenario Planning
Most companies begin seasonal planning by reviewing and running drills on tiered response protocols. These include thresholds for drawing down production, evacuating non-essential personnel, and "cold stacking" facilities. Offshore operators often maintain detailed response matrices based on storm proximity and intensity forecasts. Onshore facilities have different challenges--flood risk, power outages and supply chain disruptions.
Scenario planning extends beyond the storm itself. Companies must account for long-term disruptions caused by port closures, debris-blocked roads and damage to the regional infrastructure. Critical vendor relationships, backup power supplies and contingency logistics for fuel and chemical delivery all must be examined during pre-season reviews.
People First: Safety and Communication
Protecting personnel remains the top priority. This includes clear evacuation procedures, flexible communication systems and coordinated housing and transportation solutions for displaced workers. Many companies have invested in mobile apps and satellite-based tools that keep teams connected, even when cellular-based communications are offline. Transparent, real-time communication with employees, contractors and stakeholders builds trust and enables faster, safer decision-making.
Technology and Data: Enhancing Decision Support
Tropical forecast accuracy continues to improve, but storm intensity still carries significant uncertainty. Companies increasingly rely on specialized meteorological support services for site-specific insights and risk modeling. These tools can help identify which assets are most exposed, when to initiate protective actions, and how to prioritize post-storm inspections and restarts.
Remote sensing technologies, including drones and satellite imagery, are now standard tools for post-storm assessments, enabling safer and faster evaluations of damage across large, often inaccessible areas.
Cybersecurity and Business Continuity
While physical impacts tend to dominate the conversation, digital resilience is an increasingly important dimension of hurricane preparedness. Storm-related outages can leave networks exposed, and malicious actors may try to exploit disaster chaos. Companies should integrate IT recovery into business continuity planning, including redundant data storage, secure remote access for critical staff and clear chains of command for cyber incident response.
Know the Risks--And How to Prepare
Energy producers and processors along the Gulf Coast operate with the clear understanding that hurricanes are a fact of life. The sector's experience with past storms--like Harvey, Ida and Laura--has driven major advances in infrastructure hardening, emergency planning and organizational resilience.
But each season brings new variables: new technologies, shifting climate patterns, evolving regulations and an increasingly interconnected energy ecosystem. Hurricane Preparedness Week is an ideal moment for energy companies and their partners to renew their commitment to readiness, because in the Gulf Coast energy sector, preparation isn't optional--it's mission critical.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The Gulf Coast's Strategic Importance
The Gulf Coast accounts for nearly half of U.S. refining capacity and more than 15% of total crude oil production. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama host an intricate network of refineries, petrochemical complexes, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and offshore platforms. This regional concentration brings efficiency and scale, but it increases the sector's vulnerability. When a hurricane hits the Gulf, its effects ripple far beyond the coastline--disrupting fuel supplies, damaging infrastructure, and impacting global energy markets.
Preparedness is a Year-Round Endeavor
Energy companies with Gulf Coast assets should maintain comprehensive hurricane preparedness plans that are reviewed regularly and updated in coordination with local, state and federal agencies. Still, Hurricane Preparedness Week is an important time to review readiness with a fresh lens. Preparedness isn't just about evacuation and shutdown procedures--it includes supply chain resilience, personnel safety protocols, cybersecurity measures and robust communication strategies.
Operational Readiness and Scenario Planning
Most companies begin seasonal planning by reviewing and running drills on tiered response protocols. These include thresholds for drawing down production, evacuating non-essential personnel, and "cold stacking" facilities. Offshore operators often maintain detailed response matrices based on storm proximity and intensity forecasts. Onshore facilities have different challenges--flood risk, power outages and supply chain disruptions.
Scenario planning extends beyond the storm itself. Companies must account for long-term disruptions caused by port closures, debris-blocked roads and damage to the regional infrastructure. Critical vendor relationships, backup power supplies and contingency logistics for fuel and chemical delivery all must be examined during pre-season reviews.
People First: Safety and Communication
Protecting personnel remains the top priority. This includes clear evacuation procedures, flexible communication systems and coordinated housing and transportation solutions for displaced workers. Many companies have invested in mobile apps and satellite-based tools that keep teams connected, even when cellular-based communications are offline. Transparent, real-time communication with employees, contractors and stakeholders builds trust and enables faster, safer decision-making.
Technology and Data: Enhancing Decision Support
Tropical forecast accuracy continues to improve, but storm intensity still carries significant uncertainty. Companies increasingly rely on specialized meteorological support services for site-specific insights and risk modeling. These tools can help identify which assets are most exposed, when to initiate protective actions, and how to prioritize post-storm inspections and restarts.
Remote sensing technologies, including drones and satellite imagery, are now standard tools for post-storm assessments, enabling safer and faster evaluations of damage across large, often inaccessible areas.
Cybersecurity and Business Continuity
While physical impacts tend to dominate the conversation, digital resilience is an increasingly important dimension of hurricane preparedness. Storm-related outages can leave networks exposed, and malicious actors may try to exploit disaster chaos. Companies should integrate IT recovery into business continuity planning, including redundant data storage, secure remote access for critical staff and clear chains of command for cyber incident response.
Know the Risks--And How to Prepare
Energy producers and processors along the Gulf Coast operate with the clear understanding that hurricanes are a fact of life. The sector's experience with past storms--like Harvey, Ida and Laura--has driven major advances in infrastructure hardening, emergency planning and organizational resilience.
But each season brings new variables: new technologies, shifting climate patterns, evolving regulations and an increasingly interconnected energy ecosystem. Hurricane Preparedness Week is an ideal moment for energy companies and their partners to renew their commitment to readiness, because in the Gulf Coast energy sector, preparation isn't optional--it's mission critical.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
