2025 hurricane season: Inside HCA Healthcare’s emergency operations

As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season enters its final month, HCA Healthcare remains vigilant. While the United States has been relatively fortunate so far, with fewer major landfalls than predicted, the season isn’t over – and late-season storms can still bring significant threats to coastal and inland communities alike. In light of these ongoing risks, we continue to prioritize the safety of our hospitals, colleagues and the patients we serve, maintaining readiness across our network to respond swiftly and effectively should conditions change.

Forecasters projected an above-average 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, driven by record-warm sea surface temperatures and favorable atmospheric conditions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the season was expected to produce 13 to 18 named storms, including 5 to 9 hurricanes and 2 to 5 major hurricanes.

So far this year, storms like Hurricanes Erin and Melissa, which intensified into Category 5 storms over the Atlantic, have demonstrated the volatility of this year’s conditions. As November begins, warm waters and active storm systems continue to keep the Gulf and East Coast on alert.

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With dozens of hospitals in hurricane-prone regions – from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas – HCA Healthcare continues to monitor storm activity and coordinate preparedness efforts across our network.

“When a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes, our top priority is the safety and well-being of our patients and colleagues,” said Mike Wargo, vice president of HCA Healthcare’s enterprise emergency operations. “While we can’t control the path or impact of a storm, we can control our level of preparedness – and that’s where our strength lies. Through proactive planning, rapid mobilization and unwavering commitment, we ensure our facilities and teams are ready to respond when it matters most.”

2025 hurricane season readiness

At HCA Healthcare, disaster readiness begins long before a storm develops. Each year, HCA Healthcare’s Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) updates and distributes hurricane readiness playbooks and coordinates with divisions and facilities to ensure hospitals can continue providing care, even under extreme weather conditions.

In May 2025, the EEOC held its annual enterprise-wide hurricane readiness briefing, uniting corporate, division and hospital leaders to review the 2025 hurricane outlook and activate preparedness plans. Some of the key resources deployed across the organization include:

• EvacuNATE: HCA Healthcare’s proprietary algorithm that assesses real-time evacuation or de-risking needs for each facility.
• Pre-positioned equipment: including flood-control barriers, backup generators, potable water and communication tools.
• Pre-positioned transportation: HCA Healthcare’s mass transport providers, Air Methods and Global Medical Response, can be rapidly mobilized to provide air and ground transport for patients of all acuity levels, ensuring safe and efficient patient transfers.
• StormGeo storm forecasting: providing daily and storm-specific updates directly to facilities in vulnerable areas.

Reflecting on 2024 hurricane response

On Sept. 23, 2024, the EEOC was activated in response to what would become Hurricane Helene. Facilities across multiple divisions began preparing for impact. Just three days later, Helene made landfall, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, tornadoes and catastrophic flooding to parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

In total, 45 HCA Healthcare facilities were impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and 743 patients were safely transferred to ensure continuity of care.

In the days following the storms, our colleagues — including nurses, physicians, behavioral health specialists, therapy dog teams, engineers, technologists, operations support and more — volunteered to travel into the hardest-hit areas to provide relief. Essentials like gasoline, potable water and generators were deployed not only to keep our hospitals running, but also to support hotels housing displaced colleagues.

The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund provided $3.3 million in grants to more than 3,500 colleagues affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton – the largest response in the 501(c)3 organization’s history. At the same time, HCA Healthcare’s Human Resources Group worked to account for more than 30,000 colleagues in affected regions, connecting them with critical resources including housing, food fuel and mini marts.

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Partnering for stronger disaster response

HCA Healthcare’s commitment to emergency readiness and response extends beyond our facilities. Trusted relationships with organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Global Medical Rescue (GMR), Air Methods, the American Red Cross, the Air National Guard, state and local public health departments, emergency management agencies, EMS providers and neighboring healthcare facilities played a vital role in helping us care for our communities when its needed most.

In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, HCA Healthcare announced $1.75 million in contributions to community organizations committed to meeting urgent needs in the areas where our colleagues live and work:

• Hurricane Helene (North Carolina): HCA Healthcare contributed $1 million to support relief efforts, including:

• $250,000 to the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County for immediate disaster response and long-term flood recovery
• $250,000 to the American Red Cross of North Carolina to support shelter operations
• $500,000 to additional community partners providing direct hurricane-related aid

• Hurricanes Helene and Milton (Florida): HCA Healthcare contributed $750,000 to support storm relief, including:
• $250,000 to United Way of Florida
• $250,000 to the Volunteer Florida Disaster Fund
• $250,000 in matching gifts for donations made by HCA Healthcare colleagues to United Way of Florida, the American Red Cross and the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund

Enterprise Response Teams

HCA Healthcare’s Enterprise Response Teams (ERTs), established in 2020, include hundreds of cross-trained professionals from across our organization who are ready to deploy nationwide during emergencies. These teams are made up of corporate, division and hospital-based clinicians, leaders and executives from multiple states, all trained to respond to events like hurricanes. During the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, 42 ERTs were deployed in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, supporting hospitals and communities across several states.

ERTs assist with incident-specific needs, including:

• Establishing and maintaining effective incident command and coordination
• Facility evacuations and flood control
• Air and ground logistics for critical supplies
• Damage assessments and operational recovery
• Establishing mini marts and colleague support centers
• Behavioral health support and therapy animal visits for impacted colleagues
• Providing patient care, following patient surges post-disaster

Enterprise Response Team member highlight: Tina York

When Hurricane Helene approached Florida, Tina York, director of physician and EMS relations with HCA Midwest Health, left Kansas City to support HCA Florida Healthcare in Suwannee. She helped prepare staff accommodations, coordinated food and supplies and established communication with local emergency operations centers to align on first responder efforts.

But the storm had other plans. After shifting course, Helene brought severe flooding to Western North Carolina, cutting off ground access to HCA Healthcare’s Mission Hospital in Asheville. Tina and her team quickly redeployed, pivoting to air logistics.

Drawing on her experience as a former flight medic, she helped set up helicopter landing zones at a nearby high school and led the delivery of critical supplies – fuel, food, clinical staff, water and linens – by air to isolated HCA Healthcare facilities across Western North Carolina.

Enterprise Response Team member highlight: Chad Wilson

While teams were still supporting recovery efforts in North Carolina, Hurricane Milton began its approach toward Florida’s Gulf Coast. To help prepare, Chad Wilson – director of EMS and Emergency Management for HCA Healthcare’s Mountain Division in Salt Lake City – was deployed to assist.

A registered paramedic and former firefighter, Chad thrives in high-pressure situations. When nearly 240 patients needed to be transferred from HCA Florida Largo Hospital after Milton, Chad and his team arrived to find more than 100 ambulances lined up and ready. “It was a beautiful sight,” he recalled, as the team immediately got to work coordinating the transfers.

The next day, with the hospital closed for remediation, Chad helped to establish a modular free-standing emergency department. Designed to function like a traditional hospital, it allowed colleagues to continue delivering uninterrupted emergency care to the surrounding community.

Chad credits the success of these efforts to the annual training and strong collaboration within HCA Healthcare’s Enterprise Response Teams. “The team is made up of intelligent, experienced, hardworking individuals,” he said. “Nothing compares to seeing a group of A-type personalities come together and accomplish urgent objectives in such a unified way.”

We stand ready

As the 2025 hurricane season winds down, HCA Healthcare continues its long-standing commitment to preparedness, resilience and compassionate care. Through thoughtful planning, partnerships and the dedication of thousands of colleagues across our enterprise, we stand ready – whenever and wherever we’re needed most.