We will never forget the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. The skies over New Orleans were heavy, and you could feel the tension in the air. At APS, we had been through storms before, so at first, it felt like any other time we’d prepare: sandbags, securing outdoor equipment, making sure everything that could fly away was tied down. Some of our operators were even scheduled to ride out the storm in the building. But as the weather reports worsened, the decision was made to evacuate. We got out just in time.

Some of us headed out of town to wait it out. We thought maybe we’d be back in a few days. We had no idea what was coming.

While we were away, the storm came—and it wasn’t just the hurricane itself. A tornado, born from the chaos of Katrina, hit our building directly. One of our operators, who couldn’t make it home and took shelter nearby, saw it happen. The back wall of our office collapsed. The roof peeled away. Eight inches of floodwater rushed in. Equipment was ruined. We lost five or six service trucks. The building we’d worked so hard to build—just torn apart.

But for us, it wasn’t the building we thought about first. It was the people. That’s what Spencer Smith (one of the co-owners of APS) kept saying: “The building is just stuff. What matters is that our people are safe.” And he was right. We had about 63 employees before the storm, and after Katrina, 24 of them relocated permanently. Some had lost everything—their homes, their communities in places like Chalmette. Our hearts broke for them.

Still, even in the middle of that destruction, we knew we had a job to do.

Kim, our office manager recounted her experience on the difficulties that followed the storm:

“I remember everything like it was yesterday, the days were long, the heat was intense and I had to take long drives to keep cool and find gas for the generators. All while entertaining my 3-year-old, to keep him at peace. While my family was working during the storm and in the aftermath on the front lines of the emergency response team. “

Finding Our Way Back, One Step at a Time

In those first days after the storm, we relocated to Lafayette. Acadiana Security Plus let us use space in their office so we could keep APS running. One of our team members went back into our damaged building and salvaged critical receivers and central station equipment. That was a huge turning point. About six of us moved to Lafayette to keep things going. We rerouted phone lines. We made it work.

Then Hurricane Rita hit just two weeks later. We had to evacuate all over again. But by that time, we had our eyes on our old office on Roman Street in Metairie. Miraculously, that space hadn’t been damaged. The tenants who used to be there didn’t return, so we moved back in and used their furniture. We rebuilt our central station. Little by little, APS was back in business.

It wasn’t perfect. We had fewer hands. We were exhausted. But we were back.

Archie, our fire systems and compliance support specialist recounts the aftermath, and how APS was able to continue operating:

“By helping and receiving help from others in similar situations. It was nothing short of a weird experience that you would have to go through in order to understand. It was obviously one of the worst times in Louisiana’s History, but also some of the best times of my life.”

We did whatever it took to support our customers. Some people couldn’t pay right away, and that was okay. We covered their bills. We monitored who we could. We had 24-hour test signals on our accounts, so when we saw signals start coming back, we knew customers were returning. That little blip on the screen meant a family was coming home. It was hope, in the smallest signal.

Rebuilding wasn’t easy. Dealing with the phone company alone was a challenge. It took us a solid month or so before we were back to operating fully on our own. And even then, things weren’t the same.

The Real Work Was Rebuilding Our People

What most people don’t realize is that the hard part wasn’t just the equipment or the building. It was rebuilding the team. Rehiring. Retraining. Getting everyone back in the groove. We had lost nearly 2,400 customer accounts. Half of our base. But we didn’t give up. It took about three years to get back to where we had been before the storm.

Those three years were a grind. But we kept going. Every day, we just focused on the next step, the next call, the next rebuild. We were tired, but we believed in what we were doing. We believed in the community, in the people we protected, and in each other.

We were lucky in one very important way. We had just updated our insurance coverage before the storm hit. That made a world of difference. We were able to file claims for both flood and property damage, and we had business interruption insurance, which meant we could keep payroll going. But that coverage came with a price. Our insurance costs skyrocketed afterward. Still, it saved us when we needed it most.

We also had something else going for us. Before Katrina, we had already drawn up architectural plans for a new addition to the building. We even had a contractor lined up. That stroke of luck helped us move fast. First, we rebuilt the original structure. Then we completed the addition a year later. It was symbolic, in a way—out of all that destruction, we created something even better.

What Katrina Taught Us About Leadership and Purpose

When we look back on those years, we think about the resilience of the whole APS team. We faced every obstacle imaginable, and we never quit. Our customers didn’t quit on us either. They wanted us back, and we wanted to be there for them.

That’s when we really began to understand what it means to work in this business. We don’t just sell security systems. We protect people. Families. Homes. Property. During Katrina, that mission became crystal clear.

Working through that disaster changed how we approach leadership, too. It’s about staying focused. Spencer used to say, “Whatever gets thrown at you, you just have to deal with it. Don’t lose sight of your goal.” And he was right. The goal—our purpose—is to help people feel safe. That’s why we do what we do.

We’re better prepared now. Today’s technology gives us tools we didn’t have back then—cloud storage, remote operations, better communication systems. If another storm like Katrina were to come, we wouldn’t be caught off guard. But even with all the technology in the world, it’s the heart behind the work that matters most.

We’re Still Here for You

So what does “Let APS Protect Your Peace” mean now, after everything we’ve lived through?

It means exactly what it sounds like. We’ll be here. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your life, your family, and your property are protected. We may not be able to stop the storms from coming, but we can stand with you through them. And we will.

As we reflect on the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, we remember not only our own journey of rebuilding, but also the lives lost and the countless families forever changed by the storm. Honoring their memory strengthens our purpose: to protect what matters most and to stand with our community through every challenge ahead.