The cone shifts on a Wednesday. By Thursday every business in Jupiter is putting up shutters, and every customer is asking: are you open Saturday, is my appointment still on? A business hurricane preparedness plan for your website means the owners in Jupiter and Juno Beach who planned in May just push a few buttons from their phone.
This doesn't cover shutters, insurance or generators. Plenty of official guidance does. It covers the part nobody else writes down.
Why your website belongs in the plan
Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. When a storm threatens, customers check your Google listing, then your website, then social. If those say three different things, people call. If they can't reach you, they assume the worst.
You may be working from a phone on a spotty connection. And after a storm the questions change from "are you open" to "can you come out." For roofers, pool companies, tree services and contractors, whoever comes back online fastest gets the calls.
Before the season: the access audit
The designer who built the site moved away. The domain is registered to an ex-employee's email. The two-factor code goes to a phone in a drawer. Fill out an access sheet, print it, keep a copy away from the office and an encrypted copy in a password manager.
Printable access audit sheet
| System | Where it lives | Who can log in (2+ people) | 2FA backup codes stored? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain registrar | [company] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
| DNS (often same as registrar) | [company] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
| Website hosting / platform | [company] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
| Website editor / CMS | [URL] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
| Google Business Profile | business.google.com | [owner], [manager] | [Y/N] |
| Email marketing tool | [company] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
| Social accounts | [platforms] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
| Booking / scheduling system | [company] | [name], [name] | [Y/N] |
- Two people can log into everything, and one is likely reachable if the other evacuates
- 2FA backup codes saved in a password manager and on paper
- Domain on auto-renew with registrar lock and a current card
- Domain contact email is not on the domain itself
- Off-site backups confirmed, with one test restore a year
- A second Google Business Profile manager added
- Storm banner pre-built as an on/off switch
- Templates in a shared note, plus one owner and one backup who post
On Squarespace or Wix, the hosting side is handled for you, which is genuinely good in a storm. The access side is still yours.
When a storm is forecast: the 72-hour sequence
Assume the office loses power and internet before the storm arrives. Work in this order.
- 1Post a "we're watching" updateGoogle and social. Appointments stand for now; here's where updates go. This cuts calls sharply.
- 2Publish the closure window everywhereBanner, Google special hours, social, voicemail. Same wording, same dates.
- 3Block online booking and pause adsNo confirmations for appointments you can't keep, no same-day promises.
- 4Message booked customersOne email or text explaining how rescheduling will work.
- 5Back up and charge upConfirm the last backup ran. Charge the phones and battery packs that hold your logins.
- Built for a few days closed
- Regular hours stay intact
- Easy to reverse
- Right for weeks-long closures after damage
- Overkill for a two-day closure
- Easy to forget to switch back
Either way, update it the moment you reopen. A stale "closed" status costs you customers right when they're looking.
During the storm: one source of truth
Don't try to update six places from a phone. Pick one primary channel, usually a Google Business Profile post or one pinned social post, and point everything else to it. Your banner can say "Latest updates are posted on our Google listing."
Update when something actually changes. "No change, still closed through Friday" once a day is plenty.
After the storm: reopening without confusion
- 1Update hours everywhere, same hourProfile first, then banner, social, voicemail.
- 2Test forms and bookingSend yourself a test. Email and DNS outages quietly break forms.
- 3Load the site on mobile dataNot just the office Wi-Fi.
- 4Answer post-storm questionsIf you fix things: what you help with, triage, what to photograph, realistic waits.
- 5Take the banner downA storm banner still up in December looks abandoned.
Message templates you can copy
Keep these in the shared note, brackets ready to fill. Keep each storm update short; people read them on phones with one eye on the radar.
Six copy-ready storm messages (banner, posts, text, voicemail)
Website banner (one line):
Storm update: We're closed [day, date] through [day, date] for [Storm name]. Appointments will be rescheduled — we'll contact you. Latest updates: [Google listing / social link].
Google post (72 hours out):
We're watching [Storm name] closely. As of [date and time], we're open normal hours and appointments are on. If that changes, we'll post here first and contact anyone with a booking. Stay safe, Jupiter.
Closure email or text to booked customers:
Hi [First name], because of [Storm name] we're closing [dates]. Your [service] on [date] won't go ahead as planned. We'll reach out by [date] to reschedule, in the order bookings were made. No need to call — we'll come to you. Stay safe. — [Name], [Business]
Voicemail greeting:
You've reached [Business]. We're closed [dates] because of [Storm name]. We'll return calls once we reopen, in order. For updates, search [Business name] on Google. If this is an emergency, please call 911.
Reopening post:
We're back open as of [day, date], with [normal / reduced] hours: [hours]. If your appointment was affected, we'll contact you by [date]. Thanks for your patience, and we hope everyone in Jupiter and Juno Beach came through okay.
Service businesses after a storm:
We're taking storm-related calls now. Here's how we're prioritizing: [active leaks / safety issues first], then [everything else]. To help us schedule, text a photo of the problem and your address to [number]. Current wait is about [X] days.
Common mistakes, and the fix for each
- Only one person can log in
- The storm banner needs a developer
- Different closure dates in different places
- Forgetting to reopen online
- Relying on the website alone
- A cheerful "Weekend sale!" email lands mid-warning
- Two managers on every account, set up in May
- Build it once as an on/off setting
- Write the message once, paste it everywhere
- Make "update Google hours" reopening step one
- Update the Google listing first
- Pause promo sequences during the storm window
Frequently asked questions
Should I mark my business as temporarily closed on Google during a hurricane?
For a closure of a few days, use special hours and set the dates as closed. Save "temporarily closed" for longer shutdowns, and change it back the day you reopen.
What happens to my website if the power goes out at my office?
Usually nothing. Most sites are hosted in data centers far away. The risk is that you can't log in to update it, which is why the access audit matters more than hosting.
How do I post an emergency closure notice on my website?
Add a short banner on every page with the dates, what happens to appointments, and where to find updates. Set it up and test it before the season so it's a switch, not a project.
Do I need website backups if my platform handles hosting?
Hosted builders back up their servers, but export your content and keep copies of photos and key text. On your own WordPress or custom site, confirm off-site backups and test a restore yearly.
If you'd rather hand off backups, monitoring and updates entirely, that's what our monthly care plans cover, and storm-ready setup is part of our Jupiter web design projects. For the map side, see our guides on Google Business Profile and getting into the Jupiter map pack.
