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Davey Storm Response
Restores Power to the People
A Davey crew responds to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Harry Claypool spent part of his career at Davey
managing the southeast utility operations, where
major storms are a common occurence each fall.
Perseverance
Severe storms don't discriminate when it comes to their destructive nature. Homes,
businesses and utility infrastructure alike all sustain damage when a hurricane or ice
storm passes through. And they all pose different challenges when it comes to the
emergency recovery process.
at's why Davey's storm response capabilities are beyond comparison. e
company's collaborative culture means its Utility services, Davey Resource Group,
Residential/Commercial and Commercial Landscape Services can all respond –
bringing unique expertise before, during and after a storm event. Collectively, Davey
offers the most complete storm services to help communities and clients during these
difficult emergency situations.
As Davey sought to expand its capabilities in the utility marketplace during the
mid-to-late 1980s attention was focused on the company's ability to respond quickly
and effectively to emergency hurricane and storm situations, both on their clients'
electrical system and those of neighboring utilities.
One of Davey's first major challenges to its storm response capabilities came when
Hurricane Hugo, a Category 5 hurricane, struck the southeastern U.S. in September
1989. It made landfall in South Carolina as a Category 4 storm and tracked inward
across West Virginia. e storm was ultimately responsible for the deaths of 86 people
and caused between $8 billion and $10 billion in damage. It also destroyed approx-
imately 80,000 mature trees in and around the city of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Davey dispatched close to 1,000 personnel as part of the storm recovery response
from the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. It was the first major mobilization of
employees and equipment for such an event since the employee acquisition in 1979.
Sixteen-hour days, seven days per week, for several weeks is often the norm for
Davey employees responding to storm recovery efforts. at was the case for employees
who responded to Hurricane Andrew's aftermath in August 1992. e 165 mph
winds left millions without power. More than 350 Davey employees helped with
the storm damage, which stretched from the southern Florida peninsula into south-
central Louisiana. e storm wreaked an estimated $25 billion in damage. One of
the strongest and costliest hurricanes in decades was responsible for 26 deaths and the
destruction of more than 25,000 homes.
In 2004 and 2005 hurricanes repeatedly battered the U.S.
In the fall of 2004 Davey employees worked more than 200,000 hours responding
to storms, which included Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.
In 2005, it was Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Sustained wind
speeds of 175 mph and storm surge flooding of 25 feet to 28 feet above normal tide
level made Katrina the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. e Category 5 storm was
responsible for 1,200 reported deaths. In responding to Katrina, a lack of available
hotels caused by the storm's widespread damage meant some Davey employees slept
PERSEVERANCE
