The first week of May marks Hurricane Preparedness Week. A warming climate means hurricanes are becoming more common each year, even if we don’t always see the effects. Preparation for hurricane season remains essential, even when disaster activity appears calmer on the surface. With only a few days of notice, a hurricane can devastate a community, leaving thousands without power, food, or homes. In an increasingly global world, it’s not a matter of if but when your company might be impacted. Does your workplace have a plan ahead of this year’s disaster season?
Below, we explore the 2025 and 2024 hurricane seasons and their effects on communities across the United States. The lesson? Even in a year that feels “quiet,” disaster can strike quickly. Have a plan to support your workforce in their time of need.
Looking Back at the 2025 Hurricane Season
The 2025 hurricane season felt quieter for the United States than many in recent years. The absence of major hurricanes making landfall in the United States resulted in more moderate program activity across Global Impact’s Employee Assistance Fund (EAF) clients. While storms continued to develop globally, fewer directly impacted our clients’ employee locations compared to prior years.
However, a quieter season did not eliminate disaster risk or the need for readiness. In late October 2025, Hurricane Melissa swept across the Caribbean, making landfall in Jamaica and Cuba as a Category 5 storm. The hurricane caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure and led to mass evacuations across the region. In response, our clients were able to quickly activate their EAF programs, distributing nearly $100,000 in assistance to employees impacted by home damage and displacement. Our clients’ ability to respond without delay underscored the value of having an established, well-funded EAF program in place.
Looking Back at the 2024 Hurricane Season
The 2025 disaster season stood in clear contrast to 2024, a year marked by significantly higher hurricane activity. Multiple storms caused widespread damage across the U.S. Southeast, driving an increased need for disaster relief. Events such as Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton drove high application volumes among Global Impact EAF clients. In total, four clients activated their EAFs in response to these storms, distributing more than $1.9 million to support employees impacted by hurricanes.
In addition to our work supporting Employee Assistance Funds, Global Impact represents a Charity Alliance of leading international nonprofits. Many of our members responded in the wake of these disasters, and our hurricane relief funds raised thousands of dollars to support their efforts in impacted communities. We were proud to support the critical, lifesaving work of our charity partners and of our EAF clients during 2024 hurricane season.
Are you prepared to support your employees this hurricane season?
The quiet before disaster season offers a valuable opportunity for companies to strengthen preparedness efforts. If you don’t have a plan, build one today. And as part of that plan, consider launching an Employee Assistance Fund. These programs allow you to quickly provide monetary support to employees in need, such as those affected by natural disasters or personal hardship. Global Impact handles all aspects of your program, from program definition to disbursement to reporting.
Whether organizations are building capacity within their own employee-centered programs or raising funds to support charities responding to disasters in their communities, ongoing fundraising helps ensure support can be delivered quickly when it is needed most. Continuing to prioritize hurricane preparedness and workplace fundraising during these periods allows companies to reinforce their employee programs, build nonprofit partnerships proactively, and avoid the challenges of reactive fundraising once disaster impacts are already being felt.
As the 2026 hurricane season approaches, we encourage you to review our Disaster Preparedness Take 20 Toolkit with your team, ERG, and/or company leadership. This toolkit features a 20-minute conversation with Americares and International Rescue Committee, along with key statistics on Employee Assistance Funds. As more companies turn to EAFs as a resource for supporting employees through unexpected hardships, ensuring adequate funding has become essential to sustaining disaster relief efforts over time.
To learn how Global Impact can support your workplace’s disaster preparedness efforts, including establishing and managing an Employee Assistance Fund or connecting you with vetted nonprofit organizations, contact us at [email protected].
