Podcast: Equipment dealers key to disaster response

Equipment dealers play a key role in natural disaster response for their employees, customers and communities. 

There are 21 current disasters declared, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency website. Seven are the result of hurricanes Helene and Milton and the tropical storms that followed them. 

While not all natural disasters have equal impact, preparation is critical for equipment dealers to stay open and keep equipment operational, Greg Arscott, president at The Pete Store, tells Equipment Finance News on this episode of “The Dig” podcast.   

For its part, The Pete Store also has a twenty-year relationship with non-profit First Response Team, which specializes in the rapid deployment of specialized equipment and skilled personnel as well as recovery operations following disasters, according to the organization’s website. The Pete Store also offered its Ashville North Carolina location, which had yet to open prior to the hurricanes, as a staging location for recovery efforts in the region.    

“We spend a lot of time thinking about our response plan and recovery plan for data and power,” he says. “If we’re closed and trucks have an issue, then it starts impacting much bigger things than the bottom line.” 

“So I think our team feels a responsibility to stay open as much as we possibly can and support our customers because they play a very important role, and our role is to support them.” 

Returning to normal operations is even more critical during severe disasters, as loss and recovery are time-sensitive and can last a long time in North Carolina, Arscott says. 

“Both loss of life and loss of properties I don’t think have been fully appreciated and understood yet,” he says. “It will be years to recover from it.” 

Tune in to the newest episode of “The Dig” to hear from Arscott about how equipment dealers can manage natural disasters, both as businesses and members of the community.