When responding quickly to natural disasters, getting equipment and facilities repaired and back running is imperative. One major type of disaster that routinely affects multiple industries is hurricanes. Many facilities are located within the Gulf of Mexico and along its coasts, putting them in the potential path of a hurricane. Like other weather events, hurricanes have seasons when they are more likely to occur. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from the beginning of June through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes during an average season, with individual years varying according to the atmospheric conditions of that season.

As a supplier of temporary accommodation packages for hurricane recovery projects, Armoda has helped our customers respond quickly and efficiently to hurricanes. We aim to work with them to get their facilities back up and running while minimizing interruptions. Now, let’s go over what a disaster recovery plan is and how to enable even quicker turnaround times for getting equipment on site.

Disaster Recovery Plans

When hurricanes happen and bring operations to a halt, it is imperative to get the facilities repaired and back up and running. A major hurdle in beginning a recovery project is to find housing near the location quickly. The hurricane that damaged your facility will often also damage the surrounding hotels that typically house workers. The hotels that remain operational run out of openings immediately. That means the repair process usually begins with sourcing temporary accommodation packages for the repair crew, operation personnel, or other essential personnel.

Each facility has its own unique needs when it comes to creating a disaster recovery plan. Once it has been determined how much space is available and how many people will need to be housed, you can develop the accommodation package to best suit your location. Temporary accommodations are available in a wide range of modules and accessories, including accommodation, or sleeper, modules able to bed up to twelve people per module. Offices, galleys, diners, and shower trailers, along with auxiliary equipment like generators, water tanks, and sewage holding tanks, enable the package to be self-sufficient. This self-sufficiency is essential when creating a disaster recovery plan, as access to utilities may not be available.

These needs should be reviewed and calculated to determine the appropriate plan for a given location. Our previous article about creating a disaster recovery plan, goes into more depth on what to consider when creating an accommodation package for disaster recovery plans, including the different types of accommodation modules, support modules, and auxiliary equipment available for building out a plan.

Quicker Turnaround Times

Once a disaster recovery plan has been created, additional steps can be taken to help ensure you have access to the accommodations package you created for your plan. When natural disasters happen, accommodation suppliers receive a large influx of requests for their equipment. As these requests come in, they are quoted on a first-come, first-served basis based on receipt of a purchase order (PO). This quoting process can increase turnaround times as the quotes need to work through the appropriate approval processes before a PO can be issued. To help address this, accommodation suppliers have implemented a couple of ways to streamline the process to reduce the stress of going through the approval process and getting equipment on site quickly.

Negotiated Pricing Through a Master Service Agreement (MSA)

Service agreements are typically agreed to at the time of the purchase order. By negotiating and agreeing to a master service agreement (MSA), the customer can get contract rates for the accommodation equipment. Using the disaster recovery plan, the facility anticipates what equipment it will want and negotiates pricing. Having these contracted rates with an accommodation manufacturer, like Armoda, allows the facility to cut out the pricing process, allowing a quicker decision. This planning gives the facility an advantage, allowing them to pull the trigger quicker, making them more likely to be first in issuing a PO and expediting delivery. In addition to expedited delivery, Armoda can perform the installation using our dedicated service teams. Using our dedicated teams ensures the equipment is installed correctly and ready to go as soon as possible.

Placing Equipment On Standby

Another option that accommodation suppliers can offer is to put equipment on standby. This option is typically used when there is a high chance that a hurricane will impact an area. In this arrangement, the facility and the supplier agree that the facility will begin renting the equipment on a specified date at an agreed-upon rate. By doing this, the equipment is locked out of the first-come, first-served pool of available equipment and set aside for the facility. While on standby, the equipment is held at the supplier’s facility, and when the equipment is needed, it goes to the destination indicated by the customer. This option can work either independent of an MSA or in conjunction with one.

With an average of seven hurricanes and three named hurricanes in a given season, those in the typical paths of these hurricanes must be prepared. Combining a disaster recovery plan with negotiated pricing through an MSA, placing equipment on standby, or both can further reduce the time it takes to get equipment on location.

To learn more about creating an accommodation package for your disaster recovery plan, check out our article, Hurricane Season and Disaster Response Plans. If you want more information on setting up an MSA or have questions about placing equipment on standby, contact Armoda today.