The Storm Passed. Your Communication Job Didn’t.

Flooding, debris, damaged infrastructure, and emergency operations can make some roads unsafe even after weather conditions improve.

Continue to communicate:

• Road closures and reopened routes  
• Areas residents should avoid  
• Changes to evacuation or access restrictions  
• When it is safe to return to affected areas  
• Where residents can find the latest transportation information  

Avoid telling people an area is safe until the appropriate authority has made that determination. If restrictions remain in place, explain what they are and when the public should expect another update. 

Power outages can create hazards long after the storm has passed. Downed lines, damaged electrical equipment, and generator use may all require continued public safety messaging.

Remind residents to stay away from downed power lines and report them through the appropriate local channel. If your community is experiencing widespread outages, share available restoration information and explain where residents can find updates from the utility provider.

For agencies and utilities, this is also a good time to coordinate messaging so residents are not receiving conflicting information from different sources. 

Recovery can introduce health and safety concerns that were not present before the storm.

Public health and emergency management teams may need to communicate about:

• Boil-water advisories  
• Drinking water availability  
• Food safety after power outages  
• Cooling or charging locations  
• Medical or public health resources  
• Changes to health-related restrictions or advisories  

When an advisory changes or ends, communicate that clearly. Residents should not have to search through older posts to determine whether an instruction is still in effect. 

As response moves into recovery, residents may need information about shelters, food, water, charging stations, cleanup resources, transportation, or other local assistance.

Keep resource information simple and current. Include the location, hours, who the resource is intended for, and anything residents need to bring or know before arriving.

If a shelter or resource center closes, update the public promptly and point them to the next available option. 

One of the most important parts of recovery communication is making it clear when previous instructions no longer apply.

Evacuation orders may be lifted. Curfews may change. Roads may reopen. Boil-water advisories may end. Shelters may close.

Each change deserves a clear update that tells people:

• What has changed  
• Who or what area is affected  
• When the change takes effect  
• What residents should do now  
• Where to find additional information  

When possible, use consistent terminology so people can quickly recognize whether an alert is a new warning, an update, or an all-clear. 

Recovery does not happen all at once. Some parts of a community may return to normal quickly while others continue dealing with flooding, outages, closures, or limited services.

Continue sharing meaningful updates until major restrictions, hazards, and public resources have been addressed. That does not mean sending alerts for every small development. It means making sure residents receive the information they need as conditions change.

The goal is simple: help people understand what is happening now and what they should do next. 

Hurricane communication does not end when the storm passes. Agencies need a plan for preparation, active response, and the recovery period that follows.

The CodeRED Hurricane Preparedness Kit includes practical tools to help emergency management teams strengthen communication throughout that process, including readiness checklists, resident education resources, customizable social media materials, hurricane intelligence, and more.

Get the Hurricane Preparedness Kit