Severe Weather & Natural Disasters

As the frequency and ferocity of extreme weather events and natural disasters increase, companies face a growing range of legal and regulatory challenges—from immediate operational disruption to long-term liability and recovery.

These events can trigger insurance recovery disputes, government and regulatory investigations, consumer class actions, wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits, mass tort claims, securities litigation, and related workforce, tax, cybersecurity, and restructuring issues.

Morgan Lewis advises companies at every stage of a disaster—from preparedness and emergency response through recovery, investigations, and rebuilding—bringing coordinated, cross-practice counsel to help clients protect assets, manage risk, and stabilize operations in rapidly evolving conditions.

Preparedness & Risk Mitigation

Planning for workforce, environmental, infrastructure, and insurance-related risks before a disaster occurs—including regulatory compliance, employee policies, energy and operational continuity, and coverage readiness.

Planning for environmental compliance, emergency response obligations, and regulatory scrutiny.

  • Emergency response planning and environmental compliance readiness
  • Permitting, reporting, and disclosure obligations in disaster-prone regions
  • Anticipating agency investigations and enforcement following severe weather events

Related Capabilities

Environmental Counseling & Litigation

Climate

Preparing for employee-related obligations before and during a disaster.

  • Leave, pay, and accommodation planning for emergency conditions
  • Evacuation-related attendance, shutdown, and return-to-work policies
  • Compliance with federal, state, and local emergency labor and wage laws

Related Capabilities

Labor, Employment & Benefits

Crisis Management

Planning for operational continuity, infrastructure resilience, and regulatory exposure.

  • Grid reliability, energy supply continuity, and infrastructure resilience
  • Regulatory obligations affecting utilities, energy providers, and critical infrastructure
  • Force majeure and continuity considerations tied to severe weather events

Related Capabilities

Energy & Infrastructure

Environmental Counseling & Litigation

Preparing coverage positions and contractual protections before a disaster occurs.

  • Insurance program review, notice readiness, and coverage positioning
  • Business interruption, property damage, and contingent risk planning
  • Contractual risk allocation and force majeure provisions

Related Capabilities

Insurance Recovery

Litigation, Regulation & Investigations

Immediate Response & Crisis Management

In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, companies face fast-moving operational, legal, and reputational risks. Early decisions can shape regulatory exposure, litigation risk, workforce stability, and recovery outcomes.

We advise companies on managing the initial response to a disaster, coordinating legal strategy alongside operational decision-making and executive leadership.

  • Advising on emergency response actions, facility shutdowns, and site access
  • Supporting executive teams and boards in crisis governance and oversight
  • Coordinating internal decision-making across legal, operations, and compliance functions
  • Managing time-sensitive legal risks that arise during emergency conditions

Related Capabilities

Crisis Management

Litigation, Regulation & Investigations

Severe weather events often draw attention from federal, state, and local authorities. We help companies respond strategically to regulatory scrutiny while preserving defenses and minimizing escalation.

  • Responding to information requests, subpoenas, and informal agency inquiries
  • Advising on mandatory notifications, reporting obligations, and agency coordination
  • Managing interactions with environmental, safety, and other oversight bodies
  • Preparing for potential follow-on investigations, enforcement actions, or litigation

Related Capabilities

Litigation, Regulation & Investigations

Environmental Counseling & Litigation

Disasters raise immediate workforce and safety concerns that require careful navigation of employment laws, emergency orders, and evolving legislative requirements.

  • Advising on employee safety measures, evacuations, and return-to-work planning
  • Addressing leave, pay, scheduling, and accommodation issues during closures or disruptions
  • Navigating emergency wage, hour, and leave legislation
  • Supporting internal workforce communications during crisis conditions

Related Capabilities

Labor, Employment & Benefits

Public statements and disclosures made during a crisis can carry significant legal and regulatory consequences. We help clients manage communications carefully in high-stakes environments.

  • Advising on public statements, investor communications, and internal messaging
  • Assessing disclosure obligations tied to operational, financial, or safety impacts
  • Coordinating communications to mitigate litigation and enforcement risk
  • Advising boards and management on crisis-related disclosure and governance issues

Related Capabilities

Securities, Corporate Governance & Shareholder Litigation

Crisis Management

Recovery & Claims

After the immediate crisis subsides, companies face complex legal, financial, and operational challenges tied to recovery, claims, and longer-term exposure. Decisions made during this phase can materially affect insurance recoveries, regulatory posture, liquidity, and litigation risk.

Recovering losses after a disaster requires careful coordination across insurance coverage, financial planning, and regulatory considerations.

  • Insurance coverage analysis, notice strategy, and claims preparation, including documentation and proof-of-loss strategy
  • Business interruption, property damage, and contingent loss recovery
  • Coverage disputes, denials, and insurer negotiations
  • Tax relief, filing extensions, and disaster-related compliance and planning considerations
  • Liquidity, restructuring, and distressed-asset issues arising from disruption

Related Capabilities

Insurance Recovery

Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency

Tax

Recovery efforts often trigger renewed regulatory scrutiny and ongoing compliance obligations as operations resume or rebuild.

  • Post-event environmental compliance, remediation, and reporting
  • Agency inspections, follow-up inquiries, and enforcement risk management
  • Infrastructure repair and restoration obligations
  • Coordination with regulators during phased reopening or reconstruction
  • Managing compliance obligations amid evolving emergency directives

Related Capabilities

Environmental Counseling & Litigation

Litigation, Regulation & Investigations

Energy & Infrastructure

Disasters frequently give rise to civil litigation and collective actions that can extend well beyond the recovery period.

  • Consumer class actions and mass tort claims
  • Personal injury and wrongful death litigation
  • Securities and disclosure-related litigation
  • Contract disputes and force majeure claims
  • Coordinating defense strategy across jurisdictions and forums

Related Capabilities

Product Liability & Mass Torts

Global Class & Group Actions

Securities, Corporate Governance & Shareholder Litigation

As operations resume, employers must navigate workforce reintegration, compliance obligations, and ongoing employee relations issues.

  • Return-to-work planning and workforce reintegration
  • Ongoing leave, accommodation, and benefit issues
  • Wage, hour, and pay-continuation compliance
  • Managing employee claims arising from closures or disruptions
  • Workforce communications during recovery phases

Related Capabilities

Labor, Employment & Benefits

Crisis Management

Rebuilding, Resilience & Climate Risk

As companies rebuild after severe weather events and natural disasters, legal considerations increasingly focus on resilience, long-term risk reduction, and future preparedness. Strategic decisions made during rebuilding can affect regulatory exposure, operational continuity, and stakeholder confidence for years to come.

Rebuilding physical assets and operations presents opportunities to strengthen resilience while navigating evolving regulatory and climate-related expectations.

  • Infrastructure repair, modernization, and resilience planning
  • Grid reliability, energy supply diversification, and storage considerations
  • Regulatory approvals and compliance for reconstruction projects
  • Climate-related risk considerations tied to rebuilding and investment decisions
  • Advising on long-term operational continuity strategies

Related Capabilities

Energy & Infrastructure

Environmental Counseling & Litigation

Climate

Property damage and displacement often require careful legal planning around redevelopment, zoning, and land use.

  • Rebuilding, relocation, and redevelopment strategy
  • Zoning, permitting, and land use approvals
  • Landlord–tenant issues arising from damaged or unusable properties
  • Force majeure, impracticability, and contract performance issues
  • Environmental considerations tied to redevelopment

Related Capabilities

Real Estate

Environmental Counseling & Litigation

Long-term recovery includes strengthening governance frameworks and preparing for future disruptions.

  • Board and executive oversight of post-disaster strategy
  • Risk management and enterprise resilience planning
  • Disclosure considerations related to climate, operational, and financial risk
  • Integrating lessons learned into preparedness and response frameworks

Related Capabilities

Crisis Management

Securities, Corporate Governance & Shareholder Litigation
Insights

Our perspectives on severe weather, natural disasters, and related legal developments.

Stay Informed
Register to receive the latest on programming, guidance, and current legal and business developments.
Sign Up Now

Primary Contacts

If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to any of the lawyers pictured below or your regular Morgan Lewis contact.


Jacqueline C. Aguilera
Partner
Labor, Employment & Benefits
Los Angeles
Randall Mark Levine
Partner
Litigation, Regulation & Investigations
Washington, DC
Sergio F. Oehninger
Partner
Insurance Recovery
Washington, DC New York
W. Brad Nes
Partner
Litigation, Regulation & Investigations
Dallas Washington, DC
Steven P. Johnson
Partner
Labor, Employment & Benefits
Washington, DC
Rick R. Rothman
Partner
Los Angeles
Stephen M. Spina
Partner
Energy & Infrastructure
Washington, DC
Megan E. Bell
Partner
Tax
New York

Connect with our
Severe Weather team

Reach out to hear more about our practice—and discover how we can help advance your goals.