“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” — Sun Tzu.
Sun Tzu’s writing in “The Art of War” holds true to the test of time. I often wonder if he was referring to hurricane season planning in the U.S.? We know that isn’t the case, but his statement is eerily similar to the detailed planning that goes into hurricane preparedness.
With the official start to hurricane season and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration once again predicting an above-average storm season, the importance of planning has never been more paramount. Everyone should approach planning this year with several simple questions: Are we better prepared than we were last year? What were the lessons learned from past disasters? What happens when disasters strike and we don’t have the resources or manpower for mitigation? Where do we get our resources and manpower?
Last year, several hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., but none was more impactful than Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph sustained winds. She made landfall in Louisiana with catastrophic winds, tornadoes, flooding and heavy rainfall. She then turned inland and continued to cause widespread damage.
In Southeast Louisiana, devastation was seen where levees were overtopped and facilities were flooded. Sunken roofs at refineries and terminals became a major problem from the combination of heavy rainfall and wind, and water for process units and firewater systems were rendered useless in many cases. Many industry personnel planned ahead and acquired resourc- es beforehand, but there were many cases where Ida’s devastation revealed inadequate preparations.
US Fire Pump’s emergency response division was promptly called into action. Our teams assisted with dewatering operations, where our submersible and boost pumps removed over 500 million gallons of floodwater. Where industry lost critical water supply for fire water or process units, our teams set up temporary infrastructure to supply water with pumps and large diameter hose. In addition, where critical water infrastructure supply was compromised, US Fire Pump promptly provided potable water tankers to government buildings, prisons, hospitals, and medical research laboratories. Calls for mobile lodging, restrooms, showers, laundry facilities and power generation to assist out- of-state Army reserves and emergency room teams were achieved by US Fire Pump’s diverse rental equipment.
At US Fire Pump, we believe that investing in a diverse fleet of emergency equipment is the key to disaster and emergency response planning. US Fire Pump’s emergency response division has a diverse fleet of equipment ready to respond to calls for assistance. We boast the largest fleet of emergency response equipment globally and have an emergency response specialist on standby for when duty calls.
Plan today while it is easy, and make sure you aren’t planning in the middle of a crisis, or Sun Tzu will be upset with you.
US Fire Pump’s in-house engineers and experts can assist your team with disaster crisis management protocols and emergency response planning and training. Our team of emergency responders are ready to respond to your emergencies 24/7.
For more information, contact Jonny Carroll at jonny@usfirepump.com or call (504) 235-2938. For 24/7 emergency assistance, call (225) 209-6551.
