DLA Sends Critical Supplies to Recovery Teams, Victims After Florence
By
Public Affairs
First responders assessing damage wrought by Hurricane Florence and military officials resuming operations after days of installation closures have access to fuel, generators and other critical supplies pre-positioned at federal staging bases by the
By Tuesday, DLA had received a dozen orders for more than
"Our partners at
The agency has also provided pricing and availability data of additional supplies like safety vests, gloves and water-purification kits.
Over 90 DLA personnel have deployed to support
Additional personnel and DLA contracting experts are embedded with key military units to ensure troops have the necessary equipment to clear roads and assist in search and rescue missions. DLA personnel are also helping first responders and military officials clearly define needs.
"Customers might come to us and say, 'I need a generator.' We help them mature those needs into a real requirement that DLA can take action on by determining how much power capability they really need and whether they have a way to refuel that generator, for example," said Navy Capt.
"The struggle is that
As officials determine what supplies are needed where, DLA is sharing the strategies it successfully uses to bypass common routes that are blocked. Transportation in
"But through a bunch of state and local roads that weren't flooded, our driver was able to eventually spider web his way around and get to the base," he said. "What I'm hearing is routes that normally take just a couple of hours have turned into almost seven-hour drives because not only are some roads closed, others are clogged by people trying to get back to their homes."
Sharing maps and navigation tips with organizations such as the
As roads reopen and the water recedes, DLA will likely follow first responders to staging areas closer to the populations that need support, he continued.
"I suspect that when
DLA began anticipating what supplies first responders would need and trucking those items to staging bases more than a week before the storm's arrival, Strzalkowski added. On-site workers rushed to document trucks' contents, group trailers so they'd be easily accessible to drivers for hookup upon
"Land management is another thing we have to look at closely as all these inbound shipments arrive. We had to work with installation officials, for example, to get some more gravel put down here because in the beginning we were forecast to get 5 to 6 inches of rain," he said, adding that the heavy trailers might have otherwise sunk into the mud and delayed outbound shipments.
Even the arrival of supplies and support services from other agencies can affect DLA operations. Ambulances being assembled at Fort
"That could have impeded our process of bringing in the commodities we were staging, so we made the decision to bring the ambulances down to our area. It was a good solution for the installation and allowed us to continue getting our trucks onto the post," Strzalkowski added.
Readying fuel for distribution also requires precautionary steps to ensure trucks aren't in need of repair and the product meets standards. DLA quality assurance specialists are verifying that diesel, unleaded fuel and propane are on specification and tracking trucks' locations via radio frequency identification devices. Mechanics are also available at both staging bases with tools and parts to conduct truck repairs if necessary.
Although Florence moved out of the Carolinas Monday, FEMA Director
"We've taken a proactive approach to reaching out to our customers and making sure they have a point of contact if they need supplies or assistance for newly developing requirements," he said. "We're just a phone call away."
Reps. Velazquez, Warren Lead Over 130 Lawmakers Condemning Trump Remarks on Hurricane Death Toll in Puerto Rico
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News