Heroes of the Hurricanes

by Rhonda Gerson, Oil & Energy Magazine

When the power went out, NEFI members came to the rescue

Hurricane Helene hit the Florida Gulf Coast on September 26, mowed through parts of Georgia and South Carolina and devastated Asheville and Western North Carolina, leaving 5.5 million customers without power. Less than two weeks later, on October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall and cut across central Florida, shutting off power for over 3 million more. The South was devastated. There was no electricity, no fuel for generators or trucks, and no one from neighboring states able to help, because they were all in the same predicament.

Even before the first raindrops fell, fuel trucks from the Northeast were on the road. NEFI members and fuel dealers from across the country answered the SOS, sending trucks and personnel to do whatever was needed. Directly fueling emergency vehicles for rescue, reclamation, reconstruction, and road clearing. Filling field tanks. Making sure the generators that powered hospitals, municipal buildings, temporary housing, and emergency operations had the fuel needed, day after day.

“Our industry has always been made up of men and women who were willing to put themselves out for their neighbors. It didn’t matter if that neighbor was down the block or 1,000 miles away,” says Jim Collura, NEFI President and CEO. “That almost 700 liquid fuel providers from across the country sent life-saving fuel, crews, and other resources to the hurricane recovery effort is a testament to our core values to keep each other safe and comfortable.”

Make no mistake, even though they drove instead of flew, and wore work vests instead of capes, these fuel companies, drivers, and technicians were true superheroes.

In a time when liquid fuels are painted as the villain in every story, we are happy to shine a light on some of these heroes.

Broco Energy
https://www.brocoenergy.com/
(781) 246-1130

Broco Energy’s Priority 1 Emergency Response Division deployed to Florida on September 24 to provide emergency fuel for Hurricane Helene. Bobby Brown, President, started with 12 trucks originally working the western coastline. He quickly had to split off six trucks to go to North Carolina, and then call in reinforcements as 12 trucks grew to 16, then to 22, and eventually he was running 53 oil truck assets between Florida and North Carolina.

“There were so many companies involved it was insane. Owner operators came out of the woodwork to help,” Brown muses. “We had subcontractors coming in from Utah and North Dakota, people reaching out to me to help fulfill my fuel requirements for the hurricane relief and my company in the North.”

Once he got down to Florida, Brown set up his operations center for fuel logistics to dispatch the emergency fuel for light towers and the linemen crews. They try to anticipate where the eye wall will be, and position their operations next to the generators for critical facilities, such as hospitals.

“After the storm, the first week is to support the power crews, reestablish power where they can. After that, we’re providing our post-storm emergency fuel for the recovery teams, construction and removal teams, generators and dehumidifying equipment for facilities like hotels,” he explains.

Broco Energy sent down 300,000 gallons of emergency fuel for the initial response, and every truck needed to be refilled in a day or two. Filling all the generators and emergency equipment before the storm even hits can require 500,000 gallons, Brown explains. The company’s efforts were featured in news outlets in Massachusetts and Florida.

“People don’t realize that before anything can be done, the first thing that needs to be secured is the emergency fuel. The linemen can’t do their work if they don’t have fuel for their trucks. Diesel shows its reliability in these circumstances. On-road diesel, gasoline, generators. These stand the test of time. You can’t do this with electric vehicles, because you can’t rely on electric charging stations. They go out when the power goes out,” Broco adds.

“My crew – when we expand or hire drivers – we want the people who are looking to help before asking how much they’ll make. This is our company’s culture. So, my crew – for them, this is exciting. It’s fun that they get to help people. What’s better than that,” he concludes.

Approved Oil
https://approvedoil.com
(718) 238-1050

Approved Oil got a call from Foster Fuels, a Virginia-based company with a Mission Critical emergency division, shortly after Hurricane Helene struck. Trucks were needed.

Within a few hours, Approved had 4 tandem trucks on the road, capable of carrying a total of 6,500 gallons each. Their first stop was to fill up at Fosters, and then continue to Georgia to meet with FEMA and get dispatched to where they would be needed most.

The Approved team ended up on the northwest coast, where they were able to fill generators, trucks, and other equipment that would need a steady supply of diesel.

“There were somewhere between 600 and 700 delivery trucks and drivers down there,” said Vincent Theurer, Jr., Business Development Executive at Approved Oil. “It is nice to see the industry come together. Really amazing.”

Chris Fazio, Executive Vice President for Approved Oil, said, “This is the first time we’ve done something like this. Having the assets to help out with something like this, we’re proud of that. If we’re asked again and can help out, we will. But we really hope it’s the last, because to have to do this, it means there was devastation somewhere.”

Santa Energy
https://santaenergy.com
(800) 739-1852

Santa Energy filled four trucks with diesel fuel and sent them down to the staging point in Georgia on October 10. They were quickly sent to the Tampa Fairgrounds, the fuel hub for operations.

According to Stephen Santa, Chief Operating Officer at Santa Energy, there were so many teams in the Tampa area that there were no hotels in the area, and his team had to drive an hour-and-a-half to Ocala to find a place to stay. “My guys were happy to be part of it. Happy to help out, and glad they got the opportunity to go down there.”

The Santa crews stayed in Tampa for the entire trip, often assisting with fuel transfers from the transfer skid and dispensing it to other vehicles.

“I want to say, my mechanics did an amazing job here before we sent our guys out. They went through all the trucks and made sure they were in top-notch shape. They deserve some recognition for what they did to make sure everyone was safe on the road,” Santa said. “We’re happy to have had the opportunity to support a national emergency like this. We’re happy to be requested, happy to be involved, and proud we could be there.”

Townsend Energy
https://www.townsendtotalenergy.com
(800) 888-2888

The call for help came to Townsend Energy on a Monday afternoon. The “Fuel Force,” a name coined by Townsend’s head of safety, was deployed less than 20 hours later, at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Mid-trip, they were told that their teams would be spread out across the region, rather than being housed together in Pensacola. Oh, and more help was needed, too. According to Brookes Townsend, President, Townsend Energy, they were able to call on four more trucks from partner companies in Cape Cod and Missouri, sending a total of 40,000 gallons to those in need.

In the end, only two team members were stationed together. The rest were sent up and down the west coast of Florida to fuel generators and recovery and clean-up vehicles and machinery.

“Some sites had plenty of operations like Townsend there and our drivers were able to work in shifts with them. Other spots were more remote, and our team had to work 10 – 12-hour shifts, because there were fewer options. They were emptying their trucks and reloading several times a day,” Townsend says. “When our teams in the more desolate areas had issues with their trucks or got stuck on the road, we were lucky there were locals and utility crews to help them out.”

This was the first time Townsend Energy was able to send help when asked, but it will not be the last. “It’s something we’ll definitely do more of in the future. It was a great experience. It was cool to see news coverage and to see the Northeast fuel industry come together for the relief efforts,” Townsend says. “It was great to be part of it. Our whole team, and especially those in more remote areas, could see the impact they were having by providing fuel to the people down there. It was fulfilling.”

Was your company part of the recovery efforts for Hurricanes Helene and Milton or elsewhere? Share your story with Oil & Energy Magazine. Contact Rhonda at rgerson@primediany.com.

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