Hurricane Michael, now a category four storm, is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, October 10. Technology companies including AppRiver and Datto have activated MSP-centric business continuity and disaster recovery plans ahead of the storm, which may trigger as many as 2 million power outages, according to a University of Michigan forecast.
Latest Updates
Wed, October 10, 7:20 a.m. ET
- Hurricane Michael has strengthened to a Category 4 storm,
- It will likely be the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Florida Panhandle according to records dating back to 1851, The Weather Channel reports.
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The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph to 156 mph.
Original Report From October 9 Continues Below
A category 3 hurricane, which typically has sustained winds of 111 to 129 miles per hour, can cause devastating damage, according to the National Hurricane Center. The impact, according to the center, can include:
- Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends.
- Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads.
- Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.
Hurricane Michael: Disaster Recovery Plans
Multiple technology companies with partners and customer in the region have activated various business continuity and disaster recovery plans ahead of the storm's arrival.
Datto's Disaster Response Team (DRT) that will be deployed on Wednesday. The team will fly down to Atlanta and will be equipped with physical Alto devices for business continuity and Datto Networking appliances to provide routing and Internet failover with 4G LTE. All of these devices will be provided free-of-charge for a period of time to help partners in need, the company says.
Datto is also offering tip sheet and these recommendations:
- Send out the storm plan to your employees, customers and partners. Include a communications schedule and stick to it.
- If your business cannot withstand a period of lengthy downtime, secure a facility further inland for you and your employees or ensure everyone is able to work remotely.
- Tropical storms can put data centers out of commission. Make sure your business data, backups, applications, and server images are stored off-site.
- The company has a Natural Disaster Recovery Guide here
Meanwhile, AppRiver has offices in Hurricane Michael's forecast storm path. The company has activated its Digital Disaster Preparedness Service (DDPS) to help businesses safeguard their email in the event of an outage.
Moreover, Verizon will offer free calling, texting and data to customers along the northeastern Gulf Coast who are effected by Hurricane Michael, the company said.
On a similar note, business continuity expert Mike Semel is sharing this 2018 Disaster Checklist to help residents in the region prepare ahead of the storm.
Stay tuned to ChannelE2E for Hurricane Michael business continuity and disaster recovery updates.
