By Amy Strecker, Duke Foundation President
As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season begins, our teams at Duke Energy and Duke Energy Foundation are once again putting preparation into action – not just preparing equipment and resources to restore power when outages occur, but our people, communities and partnerships for what may come.
We’ve responded to hurricanes and disasters for decades, but 2024 tested us in new ways. A triple whammy of storms – Debby, Helene and Milton – hit in rapid succession. Each one reinforced what we’ve long known: In crisis, it’s not just about responding quickly, but showing up with humanity.
As I reflect on leading through last year’s unprecedented storm season, here are four things I’ve learned about showing up when it matters most.
- Trust local voices – When disaster hits, our people are already there. Our lineworkers, engineers, grantmakers and volunteers – we live in the same communities we serve. That’s why we empower local teams to lead our response. They know the needs, the context and the nonprofits on the ground. Our job as a foundation is to listen, trust and enable their insights to guide our giving – quickly and compassionately. Decentralize decision-making in times of crisis. The people closest to the problem often hold the best solutions.
- Lead with flexibility, not forms – Nonprofits can’t wait for red tape to be cut in an emergency. Neither can families. That’s why we’ve built new muscle around speed and flexibility – turning long-term grants into emergency relief dollars, accepting phone applications and issuing same-day payments to expediate help. Bureaucracy slows down impact. Create systems that bend without breaking in a crisis.
- Care for the caregivers – Some of our own employees wear two hats during a storm – responder and victim. In western North Carolina, when food was scarce after Hurricane Helene, teams across the company mobilized overnight to deliver meals to affected colleagues. So while Mom or Dad reported to work the next day to help restore power, their families had food on the table. I’ll never forget the tears on that late-night call – and the equal parts heartbreak and pride I felt as we organized a plan to care for our own.
We also lean on our Relief4Employees program, which provides immediate, confidential financial support for employees in disaster situations through our partnership with E4E Relief. It’s fast, discreet and meaningful.
Build support systems for your people before they need them. And when they do, respond with empathy and speed.
- Optimize “blue sky” days – Disaster response starts long before the dark clouds roll in. On our “blue sky” days, we’re busy:
- Funding preparedness grants in local communities
- Writing and refining our response plans, including strategy, timing and support options for our work
- Building relationships with nonprofits and internal teams that will lead the charge when disaster hits
The best crisis management starts during calm, not chaos – so when disaster strikes, you’re not scrambling – you’re activating.
Why this matters – Disasters will keep coming. But when organizations are rooted in trust, flexibility, care and preparation, they can turn chaos into coordinated compassion. That’s what we strive for at Duke Energy – every storm, every time.