June 1 marked the start of another Atlantic hurricane season, prompting organizations across vulnerable regions to review emergency response plans and reevaluate infrastructure resiliency. For emergency managers, utilities, healthcare providers, enterprises, and government agencies, maintaining connectivity during and after a storm is essential. Reliable connectivity supports everything from emergency response coordination and public safety operations to business continuity and recovery efforts. When severe weather disrupts terrestrial infrastructure, maintaining reliable communications can become a significant challenge, underscoring the need for network architectures that can continue operating when traditional systems are compromised.
The Importance of Communications Resilience
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), American electricity customers experienced an average of 11 hours of power interruptions in 2024, which was nearly double the annual average of the previous decade. Major weather events such as Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton accounted for roughly 80 percent of those outage hours. Recent hurricane seasons have demonstrated how quickly communications networks can be impacted, and the ripple effects those disruptions can have on communities. Cellular towers may lose power, fiber routes can be disrupted, and transportation challenges can delay restoration efforts. And when power and communications infrastructure are disrupted simultaneously, maintaining reliable connectivity becomes even more critical. Even short-term outages can hinder organizations that rely on real-time information and situational awareness.
As a result, many organizations are adopting more diversified network architectures that incorporate multiple connectivity paths. Satellite-enabled communications are an important component of these efforts because they operate independently of local terrestrial infrastructure and can enable critical communications when traditional networks are unavailable. “When natural disasters strike, MEO-enabled satellite communications service remains some of the most reliable and rapidly deployable high-performance connectivity to restore broadband links communities need, to get life back to normal,” said David Fields, President and Chief Operating Officer at SES Space & Defense.
Preparedness Before the Storm
Effective hurricane readiness extends beyond emergency supplies and facility preparations. Organizations should assess communications vulnerabilities, identify mission-critical applications, establish redundant connectivity pathways, and routinely test continuity plans. This proactive approach helps ensure that personnel understand emergency procedures and that backup systems perform as expected when they are needed most.
For communications providers and network operators, preparedness has become a year-round responsibility. The growing availability of integrated satellite and terrestrial solutions enables organizations to build more adaptive networks capable of maintaining operations even as conditions rapidly change.
Supporting Recovery Efforts
Damage assessments, resource allocation, restoration efforts, and public communications all depend on the ability to exchange information quickly and securely. Satellite-enabled services can support these recovery operations by restoring connectivity to affected areas, enabling communications with remote teams, and helping critical infrastructure operators maintain visibility as primary networks are repaired.
The value of resilient communications was demonstrated in October 2025, following Hurricane Melissa’s impact on Jamaica. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, emergency responders and relief organizations leveraged satellite connectivity to coordinate response efforts and support affected communities. SES deployed terminals to key locations across the island, providing backup connectivity for field units, relief teams, and medical responders.
In a LinkedIn post describing the response, SES wrote, “Terminals deployed to Kingston (HQ), Port Maria, St. Mary Parish and Annotto Bay provide secure, back-up connectivity for field units, relief teams and medical responders. This enables real-time situational awareness, logistics coordination and humanitarian support—bridging communications until terrestrial networks can be restored.”
Building Resilience Before Disaster Strikes
The strongest emergency preparedness strategies are built on a simple principle: expect disruption and plan accordingly. Industry experts increasingly view resilience as a matter of network diversity. As SES noted in a recent article on disaster preparedness, “hybrid connectivity, combining terrestrial and satellite links, is becoming the new standard” in disaster-prone areas. By incorporating multiple communications pathways, organizations can reduce the risk of a single point of failure when severe weather impacts terrestrial infrastructure.
As hurricane season unfolds from now until the end of September, organizations should evaluate their physical readiness but also the resilience of the networks that support their operations. Investments made before a storm arrives can have a significant impact on an organization’s ability to communicate, coordinate, and recover. When severe weather strikes, resilience is not measured by the forecast, but by the ability to stay connected throughout the event.
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