Emergency Preparedness and Response

Critical Support When You Need It Most

Whether hurricane, blizzard, tornado, fire, or flood, Irby stands ready to provide expert disaster care at any hour. With resources to deliver when and where you need them, Irby can help rapidly restore your community and their confidence in you.

 

Planning and Preparedness

Starting with a risk assessment, Irby will evaluate your processes and infrastructure to develop an emergency plan, including performance objectives, response timing, and logistics requirements. With these targets in place, Irby will customize our emergency preparation services to fit your utility. 

 

Irby semi truck with flatbed trailer carrying utility cable

Emergency Response Trailers

Irby’s fully equipped storm trailers offer a flexible solution for positioning resources closer to affected areas. These trailers are ready to mobilize for fast power restoration, whether used with a staging site or on their own.

Material Management

We work with your team to establish emergency material needs. From there, Irby will keep dedicated inventories of repair and construction materials at strategic locations around your footprint, regularly updating stock so that materials are always emergency ready.

Storm Kits

Irby pre-assembles storm kits with essential materials and tools, strategically positioning them for best access in the event of flooding or road blockages. We consistently manage these kits by replacing dispensed items, forecasting needs, and placing orders early to avoid delays. Coupled with our 24/7 emergency support service, these critical supplies are primed and ready when needed. 

irby warehouse with utility products

Preparation

In the hours before a foreseeable disaster, Irby will communicate with your team to plan logistics and damage needs. We’ll alert our fleet and local personnel for fast response, and our team will be ready to act when the results of damage assessment come in. 

Response

 

When disaster strikes, Irby becomes an extension of your team. We leverage decades of emergency response expertise, a deep understanding of your processes, and extensive resources to quickly restore your community.

Emergency Response Team

Irby’s emergency response team includes hundreds of storm professionals specializing in procurement, warehousing, logistics, and project management for comprehensive support. With our fleet and 60+ branch network, we can deploy critical materials and material management within hours.

On-site Material Handling and Logistics

Our team will work closely with yours to manage material handling, logistics, and real-time replenishment. We can pull from our nationwide network of warehouses for instant support and turn to trusted vendors to expedite existing orders, place new priority requests, and secure emergency production. 

 

With thousands of manufacturer partnerships nationwide and the strength of our global parent company, Sonepar, you’ll have the broadest product and vendor selection available. If your preferred material is unavailable, we'll offer workable alternatives to keep your restoration timeline on track. 

overhead view of homes destroyed by weather disaster

Irby Fleet + Third Party Logistics (3PL)

Irby maintains our own fleet. This enables timely deliveries during emergencies without relying on common carriers. Our drivers will deliver and unload materials directly to your staging sites and, for local inventory, are backed by our manufacturers' 24-hour emergency support staff. We can also leverage strong relationships with freight carriers to choose the fastest delivery method.

Contractor Material Management

Our team can kit and deliver materials directly to your contractors’ yards. This support ensures your contracted workforce has immediate access to essential supplies, accelerating your emergency response efforts.

Staging Support

Irby facilitates a rapid and organized staging process. Our teams can help you determine optimal mobilization locations, manage inventory, support worksite setup, issue supplies to crews, and coordinate additional labor and equipment as needed.

Recovery & Reconciliation

 

After every emergency, Irby helps minimize financial impacts and accelerate your return to normal operations. Our meticulous approach to recovery and reconciliation allows your team to focus on restoring services. 

car under water from flooding in neighborhood

Looking for other support?

Our team offers additional solutions across every phase of emergency response. From managing laydown yards to securing labor resources, Irby is ready to scale to your needs.

 

Our support includes:

  • Material clean-up
  • Material returns
  • Inventory and work order reconciliation
  • Additional contractor coordination
kaukauna utilities logo

“[Irby’s] commitment made an immense difference in our restoration timeline…If you want to avoid a lot of headaches and scrambling when emergencies strike, give Irby a call. It's as simple as that."

- Jean Jack, Procurement and Warehouse Supervisor, Kaukauna Utilities

Kaukauna Utilities Case Study

When an ice storm wreaked havoc on Kaukauna Utilities’ infrastructure, Irby’s storm response mobilized overnight. Delivering essential materials within hours, Irby helped KU restore their community in record time.

Read it here
irby employee writing on notepad
irby employee writing on notepad

When hours count, trust Irby to deliver.

Our expertise, resources, and personnel are committed to your community's swift recovery in any emergency.

Connect with Irby’s emergency response team today and get storm-ready.