Skift Take
The recent hurricanes are expected to have mostly short-term impacts on business travel and economic forecasts, but they exposed serious weaknesses in companies’ preparations for disruption caused by extreme weather.
So far, 2017 has brought devastating hurricanes, floods, widespread wildfires, and extremely high temperatures — all of which have forced the cancellation of thousands of flights.
For business travelers in affected areas, that has meant more uncertainty, last-minute changes, and even sudden evacuations. For employers, this year has exposed the weakness in some emergency preparations and the need to think more strategically about the impact of extreme weather on travel plans.
And as the planet continues to warm, scientists say climate change is likely to lead to more frequent or more intense bouts of extreme weather. Rather than being an outlier, 2017 could be a hint of what’s to come.
A year like this should make corporate travel decision-makers start to think about business travel in new ways, said Andrew Winston, a strategic advisor to businesses and author of books such as “The Big Pivot” and “Green to Gold.”
Companies need to plan for increased threats to the coasts, whether employees live in those regions full-time or travel there for business, Winston said. Businesses also need to update evacuate plans, assess how storms could affect communications, and train employees to react appropriately in dangerous situations. In more cases, trips may need to be rerouted or canceled entirely when extreme weather moves into an area.
“No scientist in the world is saying that hurricanes, droughts, and floods are new because of climate change,” Winston said. “The point is that they’re getting more severe and harder to pred
