Natural disaster preparedness key to limiting operational impact

It is not a matter of if a natural disaster will strike, but when. 

More importantly, but often overlooked, is what businesses should do to get ready for them. Weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, tornados, floods and earthquakes have the power to wipe out entire cities and leave communities with nothing in their wake. This creates significant economic losses for business owners, to the point where they may not be able to rebuild and are forced to close their doors or declare bankruptcy.

Last year's most damaging storm, Hurricane Ida, severely affected businesses along the coast of Louisiana. The storm dropped large amounts of rain and generated heavy winds and extremely high tides, damaging the infrastructure for many industry sectors. Oil and gas exploration and production, the region's largest industry, experienced severe disruptions with long-lasting power outages and extensive damage to the electrical grid, hindering efforts to restore power to refineries and production sites. Over 350 oil and chemical spills were reported throughout the state and downed power lines, fallen trees and debris posed extreme hazards.

US Ecology rapidly mobilized significant assets to support government agencies, retailers, marine vessel operators, manufacturers, service providers, utilities, refineries, gas stations, chemical plants, energy providers and other businesses. At the height of the response, 50 team members were in the field and continued to support customers weeks after the storm. Professional crews worked around the clock aiding in the effort to rehabilitate communities and businesses by mitigating oil and hazardous spills, providing emergency lab pack and household hazardous waste services, waste characterization of unknown wastes and management and safe, secure disposal of hazardous materials.

Hurricane Ida showed that preparedness is the key to reducing operational impact. Financial allocation for emergency response after a disaster strikes is 20 times higher than it is for prevention and preparedness. Moreover, experts suggest that, due to climate change, natural disasters will be on the rise in the coming years, not only by number of events but also by intensity. This makes investments in preparedness a strategic financial decision.

Minimizing interruptions ensures continued revenue, safety and income for your employees, and ultimately aids in the recovery of surrounding communities by upholding supply chains for necessary products and services.

There are many things business owners can do to prepare, including understanding the risk and what actions to take before, during and after a disaster. Selecting a response provider to customize an emergency response plan that suits the needs of each organization is a critical step in the preparation process.

US Ecology has over 30 years of experience as a nationwide emergency service provider, backed by 70 years of environmental industry leadership. Responding to over 10,000 incidents annually, US Ecology is an ideal partner to develop emergency response plans customized to your needs and minimize the impact on your organization. Our experts evaluate your business to assess your risk, determine your resource requirements and develop a plan that puts procedures in place for how to best protect your assets, mitigate risk and liability, and resume operations quickly after an event.

No matter where disaster strikes, US Ecology's crews are on standby 24/7/365 to quickly deploy the right resources to you through our nationwide network of response locations. We handle everything from initial mobilization to final disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous materials through our large footprint of treatment, recycling and disposal facilities across the country. Our highest priority is helping customers safely resume normal business operations as fast as possible.

When disaster strikes, trust the No. 1 response provider for over 30 years. US Ecology's professional crews are on standby, ready to deploy the right resources to manage your response and recovery needs, providing unequaled service and the convenience and reduced risk of one partner from start to finish.

For more information, visit www.usecology.com/service or call (800) 899-4672.