Petroleum Service Corp. (PSC) has more than 400 employees who live and work in the Golden Triangle region that stretches from Beaumont, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana. When Hurricane Laura took aim at the area, PSC's senior leaders quickly put together a storm response plan and began lining up critical supplies and volunteers for clean-up crews.
"One of our core values is to treat our employees like family and provide helping hands to those in need. That's just what our employees did in the days and weeks after this devastating storm," said PSC Vice President Marsha Ramsey, who helped coordinate the company's storm relief efforts.
With widespread damage to the power grid following the hurricane, one of the biggest needs early on was for generators, which were in very short supply in the storm-impacted areas. On Aug. 29, just two days after the storm made landfall, 35 generators and gas cans had been purchased in Baton Rouge at a volume discount and delivered to the company's Port Arthur, Texas, office for distribution.
"Employees were offered the option of purchasing the generators from us at cost via a series of payroll deductions, to make it much easier for them to afford the equipment," said Ramsey. "We've done this in the past for other storms, and it's been much appreciated by those who were facing extended power outages."
The company also purchased and distributed, at no cost to employees, other much-needed supplies such as tarps, roofing nails, box fans, cleaning products, toilet paper, snacks, bottled water and insect repellent. A t-shirt fundraiser was also launched to raise money for employees who suffered significant losses as a result of the storm.
"We spent hours on the phone checking on employees, getting damage reports and determining what supplies and assistance were needed," Ramsey said. "As soon as it was safe to go in, our volunteer teams set out with chainsaws and heavy equipment to start clearing downed trees, make emergency repairs and haul off storm debris."
In the hurricane's aftermath, PSC's operations managers, supervisors and field staff played a vital role in assisting customers with facility inspections, damage assessments, site clean-up and repairs.
These PSC leaders helped with storm clean-up and debris removal at an employee's home in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
"Our team members, including a number of employees who were personally impacted by the storm, showed tremendous commitment in helping to get our plant and terminal operations back up and running safely," said PSC President and CEO Joel Dickerson. "Our PSC family has weathered a number of significant storms over the past few years. I'm so proud of how everyone responded, rolled up their sleeves and worked hard to help one another, as well as our customers, through these difficult times."
For more information, visit www.petroleumservice.com or call (281) 991-3500.