#20 - Hurricane Irma: Preparing and responding with compassion
As the fury of Hurricane Irma churned toward Florida, Cristy Swink and Robert Suarez faced the task of not only protecting our network, but our people from a direct hit. Cristy Swink, VP and General Manager – Florida and Robert Suarez, Director of Network Services – South Florida, knew they had to act quickly to prepare. And given their history with hurricanes, both knew that preparing their people was their top priority. For Swink, hurricanes are deeply personal. The mention of the word takes her thoughts and emotions back to 2004, when her family’s home took a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan. Swink and Suarez paint a vivid picture of the Hurricane Irma – with the full force of fierce winds, torrential rain and incredible outpouring of compassion that came with it.