Hurricane season IT checklist for Outer Banks businesses

Last updated October 30, 2026

Before the season

Do these in the off-season, when you have time. The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, so the best moment to start is now.

• Check your backups. Confirm your files, email, and any reservation or POS data are copied offsite, and that the last backup finished in the past 24 hours.
• Test one restore. Pick a file and restore it. A backup you have never restored is a guess.
• Write your contact list on paper. Include your IT provider, internet provider, POS support, phone provider, and insurance agent, with phone numbers. Keep a copy off the island.
• Inventory your equipment. List computers, network gear, cameras, and registers with serial numbers, and take photos. Your insurer will ask.
• Add battery backups. Put a battery backup (UPS) on the modem, router, POS server, and any computer you can't afford to lose. Replace old batteries.
• Set up a second internet connection. A cut line shouldn't close your register. Cellular or Starlink backup with automatic failover keeps cards and phones working. Read our Starlink guide.
• Store admin logins safely. Keep administrator passwords and multi-factor recovery codes in a password manager you can reach from a phone, not only on an office computer.
• Move key documents to the cloud. Contracts, owner records, and customer lists in Microsoft 365 or similar survive a flooded office.
• Clean up accounts. Remove access for seasonal staff who have left, so old logins aren't left open.

When a storm is 48 to 72 hours away

• Run a final backup and confirm it finished.
• Save work and shut down properly. Close programs and power off computers and servers that you won't need.
• Photograph your equipment where it sits, for insurance.
• Raise and protect equipment. Move gear off the floor and away from windows. Cover it in sealed plastic bags and unplug it from the wall.
• Take what you need offsite. A laptop with your key files, chargers, power banks, and a phone hotspot.
• Forward your business phone to a mobile number, and record a short greeting that says whether you are open.
• Tell customers. Post your plans on your website, Google profile, and social pages.

After the storm

• Don't power on wet or salt-exposed equipment. Have an electrician check the power first, and inspect gear for water damage.
• Bring systems up in order. Power, then internet, then network gear, then servers and computers, then registers and POS.
• Photograph damage and keep receipts for your insurance claim.
• Check that backups still run, and restore anything that was lost.
• Look for odd sign-ins. Devices that were off may have missed security updates, so install them and review recent logins.
• Watch for scams. Fake contractor, relief, and insurance emails spike after storms. Verify any payment request by phone.
• Tell customers you're back, and update your hours online.

Off-season fixes that make next season easier

• Replace old battery backups and surge protectors.
• Move to automatic offsite backups with a tested restore.
• Add backup internet with automatic failover.
• Label cables, draw a simple network diagram, and keep it with your contact list.
• Write a one-page recovery plan that says who does what and in what order.

If you'd like help with any of these, book a free pre-season IT check. We'll review your network, backups, and storm plan, then give you a written list of what to fix first.