Setting up remote work during a hurricane comes down to four things your team needs from wherever they are: access to files and apps, working phones, a way to communicate, and realistic expectations about who can actually work when half the region has no power. Businesses that set this up before June routinely keep operating through storms that shut their competitors for a week. Here’s the setup, in priority order.
A remote worker stays connected during severe weather using backup power while hurricane conditions develop outside.1. Put work where the storm can’t reach it
If your files and applications live in the cloud — Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, cloud accounting, cloud line-of-business apps — then any employee with a laptop and a signal can work. If critical systems still live on an office server, you have two options: a VPN so remote staff can reach the office server (which then needs backup power and internet), or replicating that server to the cloud so a copy is reachable even if the office is dark. The cloud-first route is almost always simpler and cheaper for a small business.
2. Make the phones follow the people
Customers judge you by whether someone answers. Modern VoIP phone systems make this nearly free: the same business line rings on a desk phone in the office and an app on employees’ phones at home. If a storm is approaching and you’re still on traditional lines, at minimum set up call forwarding to a designated cell before you close the office — and record a voicemail greeting that tells customers what to expect.
3. Decide how the team communicates when everything is down
- Pick one primary channel (Teams, Slack, or even a group text) and confirm everyone has it on their personal phone.
- Set a check-in rhythm during the storm — e.g., everyone reports status at 9am and 4pm; no news is treated as “needs help,” not “is fine.”
- Share a one-page contact sheet before landfall — printed, because the day you need it is the day the cloud is unreachable from a dead phone.
4. Write a realistic storm work policy
Here’s what hurricane veterans know: your employees are also in the hurricane. They’re evacuating, minding kids whose schools closed, and running their own generators. A realistic policy says who is expected to work (those with power and safety), what the priorities are (customer communication first, routine work last), and explicitly tells people to secure their families first. Teams remember how they were treated during a storm long after the roof is fixed.
5. Equip the key people
- Laptops (not desktops) for anyone essential, going home with them before landfall.
- Power banks and car chargers; a portable power station for the one or two people who must stay online.
- Mobile hotspots or tethering plans for staff whose home internet fails — see our power-outage internet guide.
- MFA and a password manager set up in advance — security shortcuts made during a crisis are how breaches happen.
Test it on a sunny day
Pick a Friday in May and have the whole team work remotely as a drill. Every gap you find — the file only on Herb’s desktop, the app that blocks logins from home, the phone line nobody forwarded — is a gap the storm would have found in September. Our telecommuting setup team can help you run that drill and fix what it finds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can employees work if they have no power at home?
They mostly can’t, and the plan should assume it. Identify which roles are essential, equip those people with laptops, power banks, and hotspots, and let cloud systems make location irrelevant for whoever does have power.
Do we need a VPN for hurricane remote work?
Only if critical systems live on an office server. Cloud-based businesses usually don’t need one. If you do use a VPN, the office end needs backup power and internet or nobody can connect to it.
How do customers reach us if the office is closed?
VoIP systems ring office lines on employee cell phones anywhere. On traditional lines, enable call forwarding before closing and update your voicemail and Google Business hours so customers know you’re operating.
Should employees be paid during a hurricane closure?
Rules differ for hourly vs. salaried staff and by policy — decide and write it down before the season so nobody is negotiating pay by group text during a Category 3. Consult your HR/legal advisor for specifics.
Your growth is the mission.
MetroTech provides managed IT services, data backup & recovery, cybersecurity, and on-site business IT support across Tampa Bay. If you want your team able to work from anywhere — cloud migration, VoIP phones, VPN, and secure remote access, tested before hurricane season peaks, visit mettec.net or contact us for a free consultation.
