After Ida hit in 2021, we spent several weeks helping facilities teams across the north shore and greater New Orleans area get their building automation systems back online. Some buildings came back quickly. Others took weeks longer than necessary because of problems that could have been avoided with pre-storm preparation.
Living and working in Louisiana means accepting that this is part of the job. Not every storm turns into Ida or Katrina, but preparing as if it might is the only reasonable approach. What follows is the preparation and recovery framework we now walk clients through every spring, before hurricane season gets serious.
Before the Storm: What to Do Now
The most valuable thing you can do before a storm threatens is take care of the administrative and documentation tasks that are easy to overlook when you are focused on physical preparations.
Back Up Your Niagara N4 Station Database
Your Niagara N4 JACE contains your entire BAS configuration: sequences of operations, graphics, point databases, schedules, alarm configurations, and trend logs. If the JACE is destroyed by flooding or a power surge, everything in it is gone unless you have a backup.
Back up your station database to a remote location, not to a local drive in the same building. A cloud storage service or a server at a facility outside the storm's likely impact zone is appropriate. The backup process in Niagara N4 involves exporting the station as a .dist file from Workbench, which can then be restored to a replacement JACE if the original is lost.
Establish a regular backup schedule, not just a pre-storm one. Monthly backups stored offsite mean you are never more than 30 days away from a recoverable system state.
Document Current Schedules and Setpoints
Before a storm, export or print your current schedule configurations and setpoint values. If your system loses power for an extended period and schedules or overrides were active at the time, you want a reference for what normal operation looks like. A building that comes back online with a heating setpoint stuck at 85 degrees or a critical exhaust fan disabled by an override is not serving anyone.
Verify Your UPS Is Functional
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on your JACE controller and supervisory workstation protects against momentary power interruptions and gives your equipment a controlled shutdown during extended outages. A UPS that has been sitting on a shelf for three years may have degraded batteries that will not provide meaningful runtime.
Test your UPS by simulating power loss: pull the utility power cord and time how long the connected equipment continues to operate. If the runtime is significantly shorter than the rated battery backup time, the batteries need replacement before storm season. UPS batteries typically need replacement every 3-5 years.
Test Your Generator Transfer Sequence
If your building has a standby generator, verify that the transfer sequence brings your BAS systems back online correctly after the transfer. The sequence of events matters: if your JACE powers up before the network switch that connects it to the field controllers, it may show communication faults that persist even after everything is actually running. The transfer sequence should include sufficient time delays to allow all devices to boot in the correct order.
Run a full generator transfer test, including confirming that your HVAC systems restart correctly on generator power and that the BAS supervisor shows expected status for all equipment.
Verify Remote VPN Access
After a storm passes, the ability to check on your building remotely before anyone can physically get to it is extremely valuable. Verify that your VPN connection to the BAS is working from outside the building's network. If your remote access depends on a specific IP address that your internet service provider assigns dynamically, confirm that address or set up a dynamic DNS service that will track it.
During Ida, some facilities teams were able to assess building status remotely within hours of the storm passing, prioritizing which buildings needed immediate attention. Teams without remote access were working blind until roads were cleared.
During Extended Power Outages: What Happens to Your Controllers
Understanding what happens inside your BAS during a power outage helps you plan for recovery.
JACE controllers running Niagara N4 store the station database in non-volatile flash memory. The configuration, programming, and most recent setpoints are preserved through a power loss. When power returns, the JACE boots and the station comes online. However, any unsaved edits in an active programming session at the time of power loss will be lost.
DDC field controllers vary by manufacturer. Most modern controllers store their programming in non-volatile memory and will resume their programmed sequences when power returns. However, some controllers default to specific safe states on power-up (fans off, valves in fail-safe position) that may not match what you want for a post-storm restart.
Time and date: JACE controllers typically have a real-time clock with a battery backup to maintain time through power loss. Verify that the clock is accurate after an extended outage and synchronize with an NTP server if needed. Schedule execution depends on correct time.
Trending data: Trend data buffered in the JACE during the outage period will be lost if the buffer overflows. For extended outages, this is expected. Your trend history up to the point of power loss is preserved in non-volatile storage.
After the Storm: Bringing Systems Back Online Safely
Resist the urge to simply restore power and let everything start at once. A structured restart sequence protects your equipment and helps you identify any storm-related damage before it causes additional problems.
Check for water intrusion first. Before energizing any electrical panel, controller enclosure, or mechanical room, visually inspect for water damage. Storm surge, roof leaks, and flooding can introduce water into electrical equipment that will cause catastrophic failures when energized. Do not assume that because a panel looks dry externally, it is safe internally.
Stage equipment restarts. Bring systems back online in a logical order: main electrical distribution first, then HVAC mechanical equipment, then controls. Starting all HVAC equipment simultaneously can create demand spikes that trip breakers or stress recently returned utility power.
Verify sensor calibration. Extended periods of high heat and humidity during an outage can affect sensor calibration, particularly humidity sensors and some temperature sensors. Spot-check critical sensors against a calibrated reference before trusting your BAS readings for operational decisions.
Check for active overrides. Before relying on your BAS to manage setpoints and scheduling automatically, audit active overrides. Overrides that were placed before the storm for specific reasons may no longer be appropriate.
Review alarm queue. After an extended outage, your alarm queue will likely contain a large number of alarms generated during startup and during the outage period. Acknowledge and review these systematically, distinguishing between alarms that indicate storm-related damage requiring repair and alarms that are artifacts of the restart sequence.
Buildings with properly configured and documented BAS systems consistently recover faster after major storms. The combination of remote visibility, documented configurations, and systematic restart procedures turns what could be days of uncertainty into hours of methodical recovery. That outcome is worth the preparation time many times over.