--- title: "Weird Weather: How to Be Resilient In a Time of Climate Chaos" description: Extreme weather can make old risk assumptions obsolete. Learn how to update your business continuity threat assessment for facilities, people, vendors, and more. image: https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/46330580/Weird%20Weather%20-%20How%20to%20be%20resilient%20in%20a%20time%20of-1.png --- [Skip to content](https://mha-it.com/blog/how-to-be-resilient-in-a-time-of-climate-chaos#main-content) [![MHA by BCMMetrics - navy](https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/46330580/hubfs/MHA%20by%20BCMMetrics%20-%20navy.png?width=245&height=54&name=MHA%20by%20BCMMetrics%20-%20navy.png "MHA by BCMMetrics - navy")](https://mha-it.com/) - [Our Consulting Services](https://mha-it.com/what-we-do) - [Business Continuity](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) - [Crisis Management](https://mha-it.com/crisis-management) - [Disaster Recovery](https://mha-it.com/disaster-recovery-consulting-services) - [BCaaS](https://mha-it.com/bcaas) - [Program Augmentation](https://mha-it.com/program-augmentation) - [Training and Awareness](https://mha-it.com/training-awareness) - [Our BC Software](https://bcmmetrics.com/) - Resources - [Blog](https://mha-it.com/blog) - [News](https://mha-it.com/news) - [About Us](https://mha-it.com/who-we-are) - [Our Team](https://mha-it.com/our-team) - [Clients](https://mha-it.com/clients) - [In the Community](https://mha-it.com/in-the-community) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) [![mhalogo](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/mhalogo.svg "mhalogo")](https://mha-it.com/) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) [![mhalogo](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/mhalogo.svg "mhalogo")](https://mha-it.com/) - [Our Consulting Services](https://mha-it.com/what-we-do) - [Business Continuity](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) - [Crisis Management](https://mha-it.com/crisis-management) - [Disaster Recovery](https://mha-it.com/disaster-recovery-consulting-services) - [BCaaS](https://mha-it.com/bcaas) - [Program Augmentation](https://mha-it.com/program-augmentation) - [Training and Awareness](https://mha-it.com/training-awareness) - [Our BC Software](https://bcmmetrics.com/) - Resources - [Blog](https://mha-it.com/blog) - [News](https://mha-it.com/news) - [About Us](https://mha-it.com/who-we-are) - [Our Team](https://mha-it.com/our-team) - [Clients](https://mha-it.com/clients) - [In the Community](https://mha-it.com/in-the-community) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) [![mhalogo](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/mhalogo.svg "mhalogo")](https://mha-it.com/) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) - [Our Consulting Services](https://mha-it.com/what-we-do) - [Business Continuity](https://mha-it.com/business-continuity) - [Crisis Management](https://mha-it.com/crisis-management) - [Disaster Recovery](https://mha-it.com/disaster-recovery-consulting-services) - [BCaaS](https://mha-it.com/bcaas) - [Program Augmentation](https://mha-it.com/program-augmentation) - [Training and Awareness](https://mha-it.com/training-awareness) - [Our BC Software](https://bcmmetrics.com/) - Resources - [Blog](https://mha-it.com/blog) - [News](https://mha-it.com/news) - [About Us](https://mha-it.com/who-we-are) - [Our Team](https://mha-it.com/our-team) - [Clients](https://mha-it.com/clients) - [In the Community](https://mha-it.com/in-the-community) [Contact Us](https://mha-it.com/contact) Business Continuity Planning # Weird Weather: How to Be Resilient In a Time of Climate Chaos Michael Herrera Updated on: September 30, 2026 #### Relevant Contents #### Need Tailored Business Continuity Insights? Contact Us Now for Personalized Guidance! [Schedule a Free Consultation](https://mha-it.com/contact) Many organizations are struggling to understand what the rise of extreme weather means for their business continuity programs. Business continuity methodology is unaffected, but organizations must update their threat assessments to reflect the new realities. **Related:** [Global Turmoil Making You Ill? Try a Dose of Risk Management](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/global-turmoil-risk-management) **Summary** - Extreme weather does not change the fundamentals of business continuity, but it can change the threats organizations need to prepare for. - Organizations should reassess weather-related assumptions across facilities, people, utilities, supply chains, third parties, geography, and seasonality. - Threat assessments and recovery plans should be based on current, credible information rather than historical experience alone. ## The Fundamentals of BC Haven’t Changed The past twenty-five years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of extreme weather events worldwide. Recent events such as the [record low levels](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260922005701.htm) of Lake Mead and Lake Powell in the southwestern U.S., the unprecedented [heat waves and forest fires](https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/europe-heatwaves-wildfires-charts/) in Europe, and the devastating [collapses of glaciers](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nepal-debris-flow-risk-mountain-climate) in Switzerland and Nepal underscore this shift. The emerging [strong El Niño](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/record-breaking-el-nio-surpasses-previous-benchmarks-) in the Pacific is likely to create new examples. In the face of these events, many organizations are scrambling to learn what they can do to protect themselves against weather-related shocks. The good news is that the foundations of BC methodology, which have been developed over decades by standards bodies, government agencies, and businesses, are untouched by these changes. These core ideas are familiar to every BC practitioner. They include assessing the human, natural, and technological threats the organization faces; identifying its most critically time-sensitive business processes; implementing mitigation controls (such as recovery plans) to protect their most important processes from the likeliest and most impactful threats; creating a crisis management team and plan; and continually reviewing and updating their program to keep pace with internal and external changes. The wild weather of recent years has impacted many aspects of the world, but it has not touched these core BC principles, which are as valid as ever. This means that organizations that currently have a strong BC program do not need to reinvent the wheel to protect themselves against weather-related threats. However, it would not be correct to say that organizations and BC programs can safely carry on conducting business as usual. [![New Logo White](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46330580/interactive-223160769370.png)](https://mha-it.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLIFaLApwGA1z4XOz5o%2F3s1AxrpmWKdj9jjnKE3vJXn5GAZy3z6GW6kyYn%2FUeFEAYHKhsJUV5b8Xkv4XQY6s5R99kFh33i2uMwRGJ6kLw4ZQs%2BaI9PTvUU5Le6WE9BubvJm6SsAgOlu6E7Dn5T%2Fv6Jws0DECTeLc21zbP4KEc330auAHD80OFy1MzAEADqmtWcY%3D&webInteractiveContentId=223160769370&portalId=46330580) ## Rethinking Old Weather Assumptions In the description of BC methodology given above, I quickly passed over two areas that require closer examination. They are: the need for organizations to assess the threats they face and the need for them to regularly update their programs to keep pace with changes in the organization and environment. In an age of extreme and unpredictable weather, these two activities take on outsized importance. A critical point is that organizations cannot safely rely on history and memory in assessing the natural threats they face, because the threats are changing. Organizations that are relying on outdated threat assessments or assumptions are leaving themselves open to unpleasant surprises. Weather-related impacts in their location might be more severe than what they’re used to. Winter storms in their area might be worse than it used to be. Tornadoes might now be an issue. Flooding might be worse. To ensure their organizations are prepared for today’s conditions, organizations should look at weather-related threats to the following areas: ### Facilities Consider whether flooding, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, extreme precipitation, severe storms, or other weather conditions could affect facilities or the infrastructure they depend on. Don’t assume that a facility’s historical exposure to a particular hazard will remain the same. ### People Consider how extreme weather could affect employees’ ability to travel to work, evacuate, or work safely. For organizations with remote or hybrid workforces, consider where employees are located and whether a weather event could affect a significant number of them at the same time. ### Utilities Consider the potential effects on electricity, water, telecommunications, and other essential utilities. A weather event may not have to damage the organization directly to disrupt one of the services it depends on. ### Supply Chain Consider whether suppliers, transportation routes, ports, distribution centers, and other parts of the supply chain could be affected by changing weather patterns or more severe weather events. ### Third Parties Consider the weather-related exposure of critical vendors, cloud providers, data centers, outsourced operations, and other third parties. An organization’s own facilities may be well protected while a critical service provider is not. ### Geographic Assumptions Reexamine assumptions about which locations are exposed to particular hazards. A location that has historically had little exposure to flooding, extreme heat, wildfires, or other threats may warrant a different assessment today. ### Seasonality Consider whether the historical “weather calendar” used in planning still makes sense. The timing, duration, or severity of seasonal weather conditions may not conform to the assumptions on which existing plans were based. Preparing for today’s weather environment requires organizations to let go of assumptions based solely on the past. They need to examine the threats to their operations in light of the latest information and continually review and update their BC plans as conditions change. Organizations need to prepare for the world as it is, not the one they remember. [![FREE BC GUIDE](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46330580/interactive-223160769336.png)](https://mha-it.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLYaGFsJtH%2BzPB9RuG8BL5mOKmSCXriKPMx8wRAbQNUfUFEtAOvNB82GRsa66Yhex8rbTqxlIf%2B%2BX1utBfVCLX8NdsDxqaLcIM4%2BoY%2BBO520%2B0Nyz2SlN2m5HQ5oSoKODqlrWL9%2FMEYIbDFwY5hm9qrcmTTz7ST7umnH0kGqCeajB8LE17zeDIna4el8CHppsyM0cOvHsaBPtG%2FsgpN1nCs4bUSwpISEE%2BFbM4Mj46QEamJyZNOZPPjmbdRLXzgkUwY4dly9g2HjOMcSYaSP9l1Qs7ofQmylr8BrevZCl7IL%2FlHWoZw9As%2F5r3zfMZdxkasEPw1kNx0JgZWAglLGW7TWF59rW165VnkHfKOgL%2BQH1%2BcVOpvJju36inK8lNakC5z&webInteractiveContentId=223160769336&portalId=46330580) ## Getting Reliable Weather Information If organizations are going to reassess their weather-related threats, they need quality information about current conditions and emerging trends in the parts of the world where they and their suppliers operate. Where should that information come from? Weather-related risk assessment for a particular geographic location is not necessarily within the skillset of every BCM professional. Fortunately, there are reputable organizations that make it their business to track weather trends, assess hazards, and provide information about what may be coming. Note the word “reputable” in that sentence. There is no shortage of people offering opinions about weather and climate on YouTube, social media, and other online platforms. Some may have useful information. Others may be less reliable. When you’re using weather information to make decisions about the safety and resilience of your organization, it makes sense to rely on sources with the expertise, data, and track record to support what they are telling you. For quality information on weather trends and hazards, look to serious sources such as local, county, and state emergency management offices, FEMA, NOAA, and university-based research and weather programs. The point is not to become a meteorologist. It is to make sure that the assumptions underlying your risk assessment are based on current, credible information rather than outdated experience, anecdote, or whatever happens to be making the rounds online. ## Stay Resilient by Staying Current The rise in extreme weather events has not changed the practice of BCM, but it has altered the threat landscape for many regions and organizations. To help their companies stay resilient, BCM professionals need to keep abreast of these changes and make sure their threat assessments and recovery plans reflect them. Organizations should regularly review and update their assessments and plans to ensure they are prepared for weather-related events that might be different from or more severe than what they are used to. In gathering information on weather trends, it’s important to turn to reputable organizations such as local, county, and state emergency management offices, FEMA, NOAA, and university-based sources. ## Further Reading - [Risk Assessment: The Best Way to Identify Your Biggest Threats](https://mha-it.com/blog/risk-assessment-identify-threats) - [Global Turmoil Making You Ill? Try a Dose of Risk Management](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/global-turmoil-risk-management) - [Lesson from the Middle East: Right-Size Your Resilience](https://mha-it.com/blog/resilience-matched-to-risk-middle-east) - [Weathering the Storm: Achieving Resilience in an Age of Extreme Weather](https://mha-it.com/blog/achieving-resilience-in-an-age-of-extreme-weather) - [Beyond Hurricanes: 4 Examples of Recent, Real-Life Business Emergencies](https://mha-it.com/blog/business-emergencies) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does extreme weather require organizations to change their business continuity methodology? No. The fundamental principles of business continuity remain the same. What needs to change is how organizations assess and prepare for the threats they face. ### Why should organizations rethink their assumptions about weather-related threats? Because past experience may no longer be a reliable guide to current conditions. Weather events may be more severe, occur in different places, or affect organizations in ways their existing assessments do not anticipate. ### What parts of an organization should be examined for weather-related risks? Organizations should consider their facilities, people, utilities, supply chains, third parties, geographic assumptions, and seasonal assumptions. They should also examine whether their recovery arrangements remain viable under current weather conditions. ### Where can BCM professionals get reliable information about weather risks? Good sources include local, county, and state emergency management offices, FEMA, NOAA, and university-based research and weather programs. Organizations should be cautious about relying on unverified information from social media and other online sources. ### How often should organizations update their BC plans for changing weather conditions? Organizations should continually review their threat assessments and plans as conditions change. The objective is to ensure that their BC program reflects the world they actually operate in, rather than relying on outdated assumptions. --- ![](https://mha-it.com/hubfs/Michael-Herrera-MHA-Consulting%201.png) #### Michael Herrera Michael Herrera is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MHA. In his role, Michael provides global leadership to the entire set of industry practices and horizontal capabilities within MHA. Under his leadership, MHA has become a leading provider of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services to organizations on a global level. He is also the founder of BCMMETRICS, a leading cloud based tool designed to assess business continuity compliance and residual risk. Michael is a well-known and sought after speaker on Business Continuity issues at local and national contingency planner chapter meetings and conferences. Prior to founding MHA, he was a Regional VP for Bank of America, where he was responsible for Business Continuity across the southwest region. ## Start building a stronger future ##### Navigate uncertainty with an expert - schedule your free consultation with our CEO, Michael Herrera. [Schedule your consultation](https://mha-it.com/contact) ## Other resources you might enjoy ![threat and risk assessment](https://mha-it.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/threat-and-risk-assessment-1.jpg?height=245&name=threat-and-risk-assessment-1.jpg) #### [Weighing the Danger: The Continuing Value of the Threat and Risk Assessment](https://mha-it.com/blog/threat-and-risk-assessment) [Read More](https://mha-it.com/blog/threat-and-risk-assessment) ![](https://mha-it.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/small-business-guide-to-hurricane-and-natural-disaster-relief-1.jpg?height=245&name=small-business-guide-to-hurricane-and-natural-disaster-relief-1.jpg) #### [Weathering the Storm: Achieving Resilience in an Age of Extreme Weather](https://mha-it.com/blog/achieving-resilience-in-an-age-of-extreme-weather) [Read More](https://mha-it.com/blog/achieving-resilience-in-an-age-of-extreme-weather) ![Risk Assessment: The Best Way to Identify Your Biggest Threats](https://46330580.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/46330580/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/risk-assessment-.jpg?height=245&name=risk-assessment-.jpg) #### [Risk Assessment: The Best Way to Identify Your Biggest Threats - MHA Consulting](https://mha-it.com/blog/risk-assessment-identify-threats) [Read More](https://mha-it.com/blog/risk-assessment-identify-threats) ## Ready to start focusing on higher-level challenges? 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