Hawaii Employers Council releases Disaster Preparedness Toolkit

The Hawaii Employers Council has released a new Disaster Preparedness Toolkit to help Hawaiʻi employers protect their people and keep operations running before, during, and after severe weather. 

The September 2026 toolkit is intended for Human Resources professionals and business leaders facing natural disasters and severe weather that affect employees and the workplace. It arrives after two Kona lows in the spring, damage from Hurricanes Lala and Lowell, and the approach of Tropical Cyclone Nolo, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and threaten Hawaiʻi Island this weekend.

“Preparedness is a workplace issue, not something employers can put off until the storm is already on the horizon,” said Sarah Guay, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Employers Council. “After the Kona lows this spring and the damage from Lala and Lowell, Hawaiʻi’s employers should not have to search for answers in the middle of a crisis. This toolkit gives them practical steps, sample policies, and wage-and-hour guidance they can use right now, especially with Nolo approaching. When the unexpected hits, a toolkit helps employers protect their people and keep their businesses running.”

The guide is organized into pre-disaster and post-disaster sections. Pre-disaster materials include a checklist, guidance on emergency action plans, records backup, insurance review, and a sample inclement weather policy. 

Post-disaster materials cover immediate first steps; paying exempt and non-exempt employees; hazard pay and volunteers; furloughs and layoffs with sample letters; unemployment insurance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance; healthcare benefits; protected leave; and funding, donations, and disaster relief payments.

The HEC Disaster Preparedness Toolkit is available at no cost under the Resources tab at HECouncil.org. Users provide basic contact information to download the guide.