Insights - November/December 2017 - 5
Storms Create Recovery
Challenges, Foster Valuable
Lessons Learned
Hurricane Harvey submerged BNSF Railway's yard in Galveston, Tex. (Photo courtesy of BNSF Railway)
Hurricane Harvey submerged BNSF Railway's yard in Galveston, Texas
W
hen massive Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria tore through the U.S. in barely
a month, wreaking havoc on millions of people, the storms presented a unique set
of recovery challenges - and learning opportunities - for intermodal.
"This year there were three hurricanes plus other disasters
right on top of each other," said Kathy Fulton, executive director of
the American Logistics Aid Network. "That made our operations
boom. If you are in the disaster business, it's never good to say
you are booming. Television showed the devastation. We are on
the other side. We see the good work the logistics industry is
doing to help people in need."
After Harvey hit, Fulton said the organization received four to
six calls a day on average for more than two months, compared
with around one call per month beforehand.
ALAN works primarily with non-profit businesses that are on
the ground in disaster areas, offering food, sanitation and hygiene
as well as cleanup.
From every corner of the intermodal industry, executives
stressed the overriding importance of effective planning and
communication, while also offering a wide range of "lessons
learned" from the hurricane barrage.
"A hurricane preparation and recovery manual is critical and
must ensure the plan is executed upon early in the process," said
Jon Poelma, president of Consolidated Chassis Management.
"We made the call to bring in a SWAT team of sorts, of corporate
M&R personnel and staff outside Houston to help recover. It
helped us set up our recovery efforts quickly and get a head start
on addressing chassis that were impacted by the flood."
He listed a series of steps that can be taken in the future
as a result of lessons learned. They included creating a reserve
stack of good order chassis, moving equipment to higher
ground when possible and creating a systematic repair process,
including chassis on the street during the storm, before returning
equipment to service.
Different Challenges
Each storm presented different challenges for chassis
operations, Poelma said.
In Houston, it was the water damage from flooding. Irma
hit just before peak season on the East Coast, where business
Recovery - continued on page 7
November/December 2017 | Intermodal Insights
5
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - November/December 2017
IANA News
Storms Create Recovery Challenges, Foster Valuable Lessons Learned
Intermodal Benefits from Technology Grow in 2017, Should Increase in Future
Inland Port Projects Advance in East
Optimism Builds for Intermodal Freight
Food Safety Modernization Act Could Help Increase Temp Control Freight
Intermodal Rail Enhancements Continue in 2017, Focused on Service
Government News
International Intermodal News
Intermodal Information Services News
Welcome New Members
People News
Intermodal Calendar
Insights - November/December 2017 - Cover1
Insights - November/December 2017 - 2
Insights - November/December 2017 - 3
Insights - November/December 2017 - IANA News
Insights - November/December 2017 - Storms Create Recovery Challenges, Foster Valuable Lessons Learned
Insights - November/December 2017 - 6
Insights - November/December 2017 - 7
Insights - November/December 2017 - 8
Insights - November/December 2017 - 9
Insights - November/December 2017 - 10
Insights - November/December 2017 - 11
Insights - November/December 2017 - 12
Insights - November/December 2017 - Intermodal Benefits from Technology Grow in 2017, Should Increase in Future
Insights - November/December 2017 - 14
Insights - November/December 2017 - 15
Insights - November/December 2017 - 16
Insights - November/December 2017 - 17
Insights - November/December 2017 - 18
Insights - November/December 2017 - Inland Port Projects Advance in East
Insights - November/December 2017 - 20
Insights - November/December 2017 - 21
Insights - November/December 2017 - 22
Insights - November/December 2017 - Optimism Builds for Intermodal Freight
Insights - November/December 2017 - 24
Insights - November/December 2017 - 25
Insights - November/December 2017 - 26
Insights - November/December 2017 - Food Safety Modernization Act Could Help Increase Temp Control Freight
Insights - November/December 2017 - 28
Insights - November/December 2017 - 29
Insights - November/December 2017 - Intermodal Rail Enhancements Continue in 2017, Focused on Service
Insights - November/December 2017 - 31
Insights - November/December 2017 - Government News
Insights - November/December 2017 - 33
Insights - November/December 2017 - International Intermodal News
Insights - November/December 2017 - Intermodal Information Services News
Insights - November/December 2017 - 36
Insights - November/December 2017 - Welcome New Members
Insights - November/December 2017 - People News
Insights - November/December 2017 - Intermodal Calendar
Insights - November/December 2017 - 40
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