Raytheon Company is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Wilma, which made landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Friday morning. Current reports from the National Hurricane Center indicate that Wilma will likely strike Florida's western coast sometime Monday afternoon.

Storm surge is expected to be an issue throughout the region. Coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and the panhandle of Florida may experience seas of four to nine feet through Tuesday, and the Gulf Coast of Florida may see higher levels as the storm approaches. As a result of Wilma's approach, Governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency in Florida, and we at Raytheon have also begun emergency preparations. 

Raytheon's hurricane Incident Response Teams are now activated and working to ensure emergency safety and security measures are in place at all company facilities along the projected path of the storm. As we continue to receive new information, members of each team will monitor the situation and modify preparation efforts if needed to ensure our employees' safety, safeguard our equipment and facilities, and ensure minimal impact on our business operations and customer commitments.

Company Preparations
With the experiences of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita still fresh in our memory, the safety and well-being of our employees and their families are our first concern. To ensure this, Raytheon's Enterprise Preparedness Program team, composed of members from each of the Raytheon businesses, is on call to help local Incident Response Teams prepare for, respond to and recover from the impact of natural disasters and emergencies in their areas if needed.

On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Raytheon's Florida Incident Support Team began daily meetings to monitor the status of the storm and develop advance site preparation plans in case of emergency. In tandem, Raytheon's Florida facilities have activated hurricane warning communications and are issuing recommendations and updates to employees as available.

Raytheon leadership will continue to monitor the path of the storm and provide additional communications and responses as appropriate, including working closely with partner companies and customers to make determinations about the operating status of all facilities.

How You Can Help
The best way you can provide assistance and support to hurricane relief efforts is by donating directly to either the Raytheon Employee Disaster Relief Fund or the American Red Cross. Contributions to the Raytheon Employee Disaster Relief Fund received between Sept. 26 and Nov. 30, 2005, will be earmarked for general hurricane relief efforts for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma — and any future storms — as well as for employees affected by the storms.

*The content on this page is classified as historical content. See this important information regarding such content.