Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery

Preparing for emergency power disruptions or outages can be costly for utility companies, and the need for a rapid and efficient response is critical.

Wesco supports utilities before and after any catastrophic event. We deliver the tools and solutions needed to manage disaster planning and preparedness, response, recovery and rebuilding.

Emergency Preparedness

Supporting utilities with their emergency planning and response is one of Wesco’s core capabilities. Working closely with your team, we develop customized solutions that augment your current processes and protocols and ensure a rapid response is ready to kick in when a crisis occurs.

Response Planning

Whether extreme weather is forecasted or hits unexpectedly, Wesco is ready with high-impact services to help utilities prepare and respond effectively. We allocate resources, pre-stage equipment, and position materials and personnel in key locations before a storm hits, ensuring you’re ready to safely restore services and repair assets.

With storm response inventory across our distribution network and mobile trailers ready for rapid deployment, Wesco helps minimize delays and speed up recovery. In sudden emergencies, our experienced team can quickly mobilize and deliver critical support, making us a reliable partner for complex response needs.

Our solutions for any emergency response, with or without notice, include:

• Contractor coordination

• Inventory recovery and reclamation

• Material management

• On-site labor

• Pre-assembled storm and emergency kits

• Bug spray, rain gear, PPE and other safety supplies

• Safety programs

• Laydown yard set-up and management

• Resource and supply chain management

• Storm response

• Third-party provider coordination

• Third-party logistics (3PL) coordination

Response

To support our customers in emergency response efforts and enable quick restoration work, Wesco takes a holistic approach. We provide services and solutions tailored to your specific needs, duration and scope:

• Assistance with product selection and approvals

• Containers and customized storage solutions

• Contractor coordination

• Dedicated storm stock inventory

• Emergency drop shipping to specific locations, job site or laydown yards

• Heavy equipment and temporary facilities

• Field service project managers

• Laydown yards and staging area support

Recovery

• Mobile freight tracking

• Stocked mobile utility storm trailers and tool trailers

• On-site material handling, documentation, management and logistics

• Site specific safety coordination, supplies, training and compliance

• Sanitation, hydration and waste management

• 24/7 dedicated emergency support, mobilization, planning and execution team

Wesco understands that recovery efforts can be complex, time-consuming, and can often take months to rebuild and restore full operations. Our dedicated team is there to assist you with extended post-recovery efforts and effectively manage your scale-down and demobilization phase so that you can focus on restoring services. We can help manage:

• Documentation of events and analysis for future best practice efforts and training

• Equipment returns or disposition

• Post event reporting and debriefing

• Re-allocation or disposition of inventory and assets to specified site or project

• Scale-down, demobilization and close-out

• Worksite and facilities debris removal and clean up

Weather Emergency Risk by Months

As your single-source emergency preparedness partner, Wesco delivers innovative solutions and tailored services to solve your most complex challenges associated with natural disasters and other emergency events including blizzards, ice storms, tornadoes, windstorms, wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and cyberattacks.

Supply Chain Management is an Essential Part of Any Disaster Recovery

Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused widespread devastation across the Southeast, and Wesco responded swiftly with expert support. In the six weeks that followed, our teams worked around the clock to ensure essential materials reached the right places at the right time. Leveraging our supply chain expertise and national network of emergency response teams, we helped utility customers access critical resources to rebuild damaged infrastructure. This unwavering commitment enabled power to be restored quickly and efficiently across several recovering communities.

Landfall Septmber 26, 2024 October 9, 2024

Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Milton

Wildfire Mitigation and Recovery Solutions

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity across the country, which means utilities must develop operational protocols and strategies to reduce the risk of a wildfire caused by electrical infrastructure or equipment.

Grid Hardening Strategies to Mitigate Wildfire Risk

For utilities, mitigating wildfire risk and protecting their communities requires both short and longterm strategies. This can include replacing overhead power lines and high-risk components with fire-resistant infrastructure, burying or undergrounding lines and equipment, upgrading protective devices like relays and reclosers to ensure faster detection of faults, installing flame retardant wildlife guards, and deploying advanced technology solutions that allow for real-time monitoring and adjustment of grid assets.

As wildfires continue to be more frequent and destructive, microgrids, powered by renewables or battery storage, mostly by solar energy and battery storage, are an innovative solution to keep fire-prone communities powered during emergencies.

Why Wesco?

Wesco’s comprehensive portfolio of products, solutions and services support utilities with any catastrophic or disruptive event. In addition, our specialized team brings a full suite of wildfire mitigation and grid hardening strategies to assist utilities in preparing, planning and recovery from wildfires and in building more reliable and resilient infrastructure. These include:

• Acoustic imaging to predetermine failures and surges

• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection approved materials

• Digital solutions that provide data and analytics

• Drone inspection

• Fast acting fuses

• Fire resistant poles, cross arms, and other infrastructure materials

• Mix of technology solutions that provide advanced modeling and awareness

• Quick-reaction spark/flame detection equipment

• Smart sensors that provide remote visibility and enable fast fault finding