Hurricanes Helene and Milton showed that technology resilience depends on more than cloud servers. Helene made landfall on September 26, 2024, and Milton reached Florida on October 9. In the weeks between and during the storms, power failures, destroyed fiber, flooded roads, fuel shortages and damaged customer equipment disrupted communications across the Southeast.
CRN’s October 2024 account profiled ten companies and channel organizations responding in different ways. The list was a representative sample—not a ranking—and included local managed-service providers, wireless carriers, a satellite operator, distributors and cloud consultants. Their experiences show what actually kept businesses and emergency agencies connected, what failed, and what business-continuity buyers should understand before paying for a backup service.
What the ten companies were actually doing
The companies did not perform one common kind of “tech relief.” Their roles fell into three groups: local IT providers improvising access for customers, telecom and satellite operators rebuilding communications, and channel organizations protecting employees and logistics.
Local MSPs and IT providers
| Company | Verified response | What it illustrates |
|---|---|---|
| ETS Networks | Continued supporting customers from storm-damaged Arden, North Carolina, while dealing with household power and water damage, washed-out roads, poor mobile communications and outages. One customer’s LTE backup failed, blocking access to a server that required internet-based multifactor authentication. | A backup connection and identity system can fail together; physical access remains essential. |
| Cyber Solutions | Connected customers with cellular hotspots, cellular modems and inexpensive no-contract wireless devices. It changed security settings so employees could work from different locations and planned to stock more cellular backup devices. | Fast cellular failover can keep a small business operating, but it is an improvised short-term measure. |
| Ballast Services | Supported customers while some owners and employees dealt with flooded homes. Customers benefited from cloud and colocation workloads, but still needed hands-on help. | Moving workloads off-site reduces local server risk without eliminating local support work. |
| Skyrunner | Restored about half of its infrastructure using generators and repeated fuel deliveries after large sections of fiber transport in Polk County and surrounding areas were destroyed. | An internet provider can have power and equipment yet remain constrained by damaged backhaul. |
| Big Cloud Consultants | Maintained client service through geographically distributed employees while Asheville suffered severe local communications failures. | Distributed staffing can preserve service when one office is isolated. |
These accounts came from CRN interviews and company descriptions published during the response period. Details are reported here as company experiences, not as an independent audit of every outage or restoration claim. CRN’s October 2024 report contains the company accounts.
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Telecom operators and emergency connectivity
| Company | Verified response | Operational significance |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Staged portable network assets, satellite-enabled equipment, generators and emergency teams; coordinated with power and fiber providers; and supported public-safety agencies through Verizon Frontline. | Restoration requires portable capacity, fuel and coordination—not just software changes. |
| AT&T | Prepared FirstNet emergency-response teams, refueled generators, tested batteries, staged recovery equipment and opened its network where possible to customers of other carriers. | Wireless recovery combines infrastructure work with priority public-safety communications. |
| T-Mobile | Hardened its network, prepared portable generators and heavy equipment, deployed charging and Wi-Fi vehicles, used portable satellite terminals and enabled limited Starlink direct-to-cell capability with FCC authorization. | Temporary coverage can come from vehicles and satellites, but the service depends on authorization, equipment and local conditions. |
| Starlink/SpaceX | Worked with T-Mobile on emergency alerts and limited direct-to-cell SMS in affected areas and temporarily offered relief service. | Satellite messaging can add an emergency layer without being equivalent to broadband. |
Verizon said more than 90% of its impacted cell sites were back on air; that figure was the company’s statement reported by CRN, not an independently audited measurement. Verizon’s response information is at its Hurricane Milton update.
Distributors and channel organizations
- TD Synnex helped employees whose homes were damaged, supplied cleanup materials and relief supplies, and donated to relief organizations.
- D&H Distributing prioritized employee safety, told staff not to report to offices in the storm’s path, arranged hotel rooms for evacuees and prepared to help employees clean damaged homes. It also maintained redundant systems.
The distributor responses matter because continuity is not only a network problem. Employees need a safe place to sleep, transportation, supplies and a way to keep serving customers.
Why cloud computing helped, but did not solve the outage
Cloud and colocation protected some businesses from losing servers in a flooded office. Cyber Solutions said cloud-hosted data let certain customers work remotely, while Ballast reported that many customers had already moved workloads to cloud or colocation facilities. Big Cloud Consultants showed the value of geographically distributed staff.
But a cloud application is useful only when the user can reach it and authenticate. During Helene, customers still faced:
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- Commercial-power failures and limited generator runtime.
- Destroyed fiber, damaged cell towers or overloaded mobile networks.
- Failed LTE backup, routers, Wi-Fi and other customer-premises equipment.
- Cloud identity, VPN or multifactor-authentication dependencies.
- Flooded offices, inaccessible roads and bridges, and employees unable to travel.
Ballast’s chief executive characterized cloud data centers as “bulletproof.” That is a company characterization, not a complete technical conclusion: cloud and colocation reduce some data-center and local-server risks, but they do not repair the last mile, provide electricity to a customer site or bypass identity controls.
The dependency chain that failed
A business can lose service at any link between a powered application and the person trying to use it:
- Commercial electricity: outages shut down offices, network closets, towers and charging equipment.
- Generator fuel and batteries: backup power extends operation but requires safe placement, maintenance, security and refueling routes.
- Cell-site access: crews may be unable to reach towers when roads and bridges are washed out.
- Fiber backhaul: a powered tower or office can remain isolated when transport fiber is destroyed.
- Core-network connectivity: temporary links may be limited by capacity or geography.
- Local access: a working provider does not help if the customer’s router, Wi-Fi, phone system or antenna is damaged.
- Identity and MFA: users can be locked out when authentication requires an unavailable internet path or device.
- Physical access: repair crews, fuel trucks and employees may not be able to reach the site.
- Public information: residents and businesses need functioning channels for warnings, status updates and instructions.
The Congressional Research Service reported that providers used backup batteries, generators, satellite cells on light trucks, satellite cells on wheels, microwave links, charging stations, Wi-Fi and temporary roaming arrangements. It cautioned that a count of cell sites out of service does not equal the number of customers without service: overlapping coverage and temporary measures can preserve connectivity for some users. See CRS, Restoration of Cell Phone Services: Hurricane Helene.
How public-sector coordination changed the response
The response was not solely a collection of private-company decisions.
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- The FCC activated its Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) to collect outage information.
- The FCC activated the Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative (MDRI) with FEMA, CISA and state authorities. Participating wireless providers coordinated restoration, shared information and enabled roaming where applicable.
- FEMA pre-staged mobile emergency communications facilities and deployed Starlink systems to county emergency operations centers in North Carolina.
- T-Mobile and Starlink received special temporary authority for emergency alerts and limited text messaging through direct-to-cell satellites in affected areas.
These mechanisms helped providers exchange information and add capacity, but authorization did not guarantee service at every location.
What emergency roaming and satellite messaging did—and did not—mean
“Roaming” can describe several different arrangements:
- Ordinary customer roaming under a carrier agreement.
- Emergency roaming coordinated under MDRI.
- Temporary network sharing in a particular area.
- Satellite messaging restricted by device, carrier, geography or authorization.
- Priority services such as FirstNet or Wireless Priority Service.
The CRS report says AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile took steps to enable roaming in some affected areas. T-Mobile separately said it was prepared to support cross-carrier requests. That did not mean every phone automatically connected to every network. Device compatibility, SIM configuration, congestion, local damage, carrier implementation and the particular authorization all mattered.
Likewise, Starlink’s direct-to-cell effort was an early, best-effort capability. Emergency alerts could reach phones across networks in specified areas, while basic SMS testing was associated with T-Mobile devices. Direct-to-cell SMS is not a substitute for a normal broadband connection. T-Mobile’s announcement is available from Business Wire.
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Cellular, satellite, cloud or generators: which layer fits?
| Option | Best use | Advantages | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cellular backup | Small offices, clinics, municipalities and retail sites needing a secondary WAN. | Fast deployment, automatic failover through a router, and less logistical burden than satellite. | Depends on towers, backhaul and power; congestion, coverage, antennas, SIMs and data caps matter. |
| Satellite internet | Remote sites, emergency operations, field teams and locations with destroyed terrestrial links. | Independent of local fiber routes and useful for temporary Wi-Fi, voice-over-IP and data. | Needs electricity, clear sky view, equipment, setup and secure mounting; weather, capacity and priority policies vary. |
| Cloud and colocation | Protecting workloads from local server loss and supporting alternate work locations. | Reduces dependence on a damaged server room and supports distributed employees. | Still needs connectivity, identity services, powered devices and people who can work. |
| Generators and batteries | Cell sites, network closets, emergency operations centers and temporary communications. | Extends operation through a grid outage. | Fuel, refueling access, maintenance, safety and finite battery runtime are unavoidable. |
Failure modes buyers should test before a storm
- Power returns but internet does not: fiber or backhaul may still be damaged.
- Internet returns but authentication fails: an identity provider, VPN or MFA method may remain inaccessible.
- A phone hotspot works for one person but not an office: VoIP, firewalls, multiple users and large workloads need more capacity.
- Satellite equipment is available but unusable: no generator, fuel, clear sky view, mounting location or trained operator can stop deployment.
- Coverage appears available but calls fail: overload or unstable backhaul can cause intermittent service.
- Roaming is announced but a handset will not connect: local authorization, device compatibility, SIM settings or congestion may block it.
- A restoration percentage is reported: restored sites do not map directly to restored customers.
- A disaster plan assumes roads stay open: Helene demonstrated that washed-out roads can delay fuel, crews and equipment.
Practical lessons for businesses and households
- Maintain two genuinely independent connectivity paths. Two services using the same local fiber route are not independent.
- Test cellular failover under realistic load, including phones, VPNs, cloud applications and voice services.
- Keep alternate MFA methods, recovery codes and an offline emergency access procedure.
- Store compatible routers, SIMs, antennas, batteries, chargers and cables where staff can reach them.
- Document how employees operate when the office is inaccessible, including payroll, customer communications and secure file access.
- Establish generator ownership, fuel storage, refueling contacts and safe operating procedures.
- Confirm that emergency roaming or satellite features work on the actual employee devices and plans.
- Coordinate with the local ISP about fiber diversity and restoration contacts; cloud availability does not answer a last-mile question.
- For a temporary relief site, plan the complete kit: satellite terminal, generator, charging equipment, Wi-Fi access point, mounting and fuel.
Choosing a commercial resilience service
There is no universal best product. Match the tool to the failure you are trying to survive, and verify current pricing and eligibility directly with the provider.
| Service | Likely fit | Official information | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink | Remote offices, emergency sites and field teams. | Starlink service plans | Needs power, clear sky view, secure mounting and trained personnel; direct-to-cell is not full broadband. |
| Verizon Business | Cellular backup, mobile network assets and business continuity. | Verizon Business | National-carrier solutions may be excessive for a very small office; availability varies by location. |
| AT&T Business and FirstNet | Priority public-safety communications and emergency response. | FirstNet | FirstNet is primarily for eligible public-safety and critical-communications users. |
| T-Mobile Business Internet | Fixed wireless or cellular connectivity for offices and temporary locations. | T-Mobile Business Internet | Performance depends on signal, tower capacity, power and congestion; test it as failover. |
| Cradlepoint | Enterprise cellular routers and automatic failover. | Cradlepoint | Hardware, licenses, antennas and carrier plans add cost; a router cannot solve a regional cellular outage. |
| Peplink | Multi-carrier SD-WAN and combined wired, cellular or satellite links. | Peplink | Configuration and support are substantial; it is generally aimed at distributed organizations and field operations. |
Historical relief measures should not be mistaken for current offers. CRN reported a temporary free first month of Starlink service for some Helene-affected users, and Verizon said it waived domestic usage for eligible postpaid consumer and small-business customers in impacted Florida counties from October 9 through October 23, 2024. Both measures were tied to the 2024 emergency. Current prices, plans and eligibility require checking the providers’ sites.
What changed after the 2024 response
Later corporate statements are separate from what was known during the emergency. In a September 26, 2025 anniversary update, Verizon said it had invested $165 million in North Carolina, $65 million in South Carolina and $130 million in the Tampa Bay area after the storms. Those are Verizon-reported post-storm investments, not evidence that all Helene or Milton outages had been prevented or permanently solved.
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