Beyond the Storm: Smarter Disaster Response Starts with Data

The Challenge

A leading national retail bank with a geographically distributed network of branches had internal teams monitoring national disaster events. While they had access to real-time storm data, they lacked historical insights – making it difficult to understand how specific locations were affected by previous events and to plan future responses effectively.

Over the past few years, Lessen has partnered with the bank to close that gap – bringing together data, vendor coordination, and boots-on-the-ground execution. In the last year, Hurricane Milton helped test the scale and precision of Lessen’s response.

Our Solution

1. Lessen’s Disaster Recovery team integrated directly with the bank’s command center to provide proactive planning as Milton’s storm path started moving, real-time updates as the storm made landfall, and post-storm reporting across all impacted locations.
2. In addition to live weather radar feeds, Lessen leveraged its proprietary platform to map the incoming storm path against detailed historical work order data – including prior roof leaks, power outages, and flood-related repairs.
3. This allowed us to work with the client to anticipate high-risk sites with precision and deploy resources accordingly, well before the storm arrived.

Pre-Storm Preparedness

Before hurricane season hits, Lessen activates readiness protocols – working with vendors to confirm access to sites, updating contact lists, and staging resources like generators and sandbags. Using internal dashboards in tandem with the One by LessenTM platform, the team can visualize past storm impacts and prioritize locations likely to be affected again.

• Before Hurricane Milton hit, the team deployed emergency vendors to deliver sandbags to 123 locations and positioned 43 generators across the impacted region.
• As the storm approached, Lessen began issuing 72-hour alerts and scheduled twice-daily calls with the client, detailing each location’s risk profile and readiness plan.

During the Storm

As Hurricane Milton made landfall, Lessen was fully activated.

• While on-the-ground access was limited during peak storm activity, Lessen maintained constant communication with the client which included twice-daily briefings providing updates on branch closures, localized power outages, and emergent health and safety issues.
• As the storm progressed on its path against impacted sites, Lessen flagged locations requiring immediate attention post-storm, ensuring the client had a real-time view of how the storm was affecting operations.
• Operations were guided by the “school bus rule” – only mobilizing field teams when local travel conditions were deemed safe.

Post-Storm Recovery

Immediately following the storm, Lessen launched a structured recovery effort.

• The team completed 90% of all work orders within days of impact: including 168 post-storm inspections and 156 health and safety-related work orders.
• Daily reports were delivered to the client showing work order statuses, outstanding issues, and expected timelines for reopening.
• For heavily impacted branches, Lessen provided full cost assessments and worked with vendors to complete more complex repairs – some lasting several months – to ensure that all locations were able to resume business.

Ongoing Value

Lessen’s impact doesn’t end when the storm passes. We provide detailed, location-level reporting that supports strategic budgeting, vendor planning and risk forecasting for future storms or other extreme weather events. This data-driven approach helps to not only respond more effectively in the moment, but plan more proactively year after year.

Whether you’re looking for comprehensive support – from pre-storm preparation to full-scale recovery – or specific services like post-storm inspections, we tailor our approach to align with your operational priorities and internal capabilities.

From readiness strategy to rapid recovery, Lessen remains a trusted partner in disaster resilience. Ready to future-proof your disaster response?. Find out more.

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