Operational resilience in Puerto Rico: from reaction to readiness

For anyone operating in Puerto Rico, a major disruption is not a hypothetical scenario. On April 16, 2025, an island-wide blackout left 1.4 million customers without power and more than 400,000 without water, according to the Associated Press^[1]. It was the second outage of that scale since New Year's Eve^[1]. LUMA reported restoring service to 98.8% of its customers in under 38 hours^[2].

For an organization, the useful question isn't whether another disruption will happen, but what happens to its customers, its people and its commitments while it lasts.

Resilience starts with priorities

Not everything has to work all the time. What must be clear is which services cannot stop, how long a disruption can be tolerated, and what information is essential to resume operations.

Prepare, don't improvise

Plans that only exist on paper tend to fail exactly when they're needed. Readiness is proven through regular exercises, clear roles and decisions made in advance, not in the middle of a crisis.

A leadership conversation

Continuity isn't just a technology topic. It involves operations, finance, customer service and compliance. When leadership owns it as a business priority, investments are better sequenced and rehearsals are taken seriously.

Three questions for your next leadership meeting

1. Which processes cannot stop, and who decides their priority?
2. When did we last rehearse a real recovery?
3. How would we communicate with customers and regulators during a prolonged disruption?

At Shervacom Inc., we help organizations in Puerto Rico turn continuity into a measurable capability. If you'd like to talk about where to start, write to us.

← Back to Insights