In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael left a trail of devastation in the Florida Panhandle, causing around $25 billion in damages that are still felt to this day. It made landfall in Mexico Beach, a nine mile strip of beach with numerous condominiums and single family homes. The beach was the hurricane’s “ground zero”, and had experienced extensive damage and a crippled infrastructure in its aftermath. It is no surprise, then, that six different customers called American Spot Cooling & Power Rental to service the beach after Hurricane Michael, culminating in the largest logistical task taken on by ASCAPR to date.
Between the six customers, nine condominiums and eleven single family homes were in need of rental power distribution, climate stabilization, and even property security. Overall, the project was massive in scope: 15 trucks delivered the rental equipment, and at one point ASCAPR processed 106 invoices a week. This job was especially challenging to coordinate, because employees came from nine different branches and equipment deliveries spanned multiple time zones, arriving at a ravaged locale with debris, sewage, and power lines scattered throughout the streets. On top of that, 350,000 gallons of contaminated water had to be pumped out of the area in an environmentally safe manner, and several hundred laborers needed housing in man camps.
The project has been finished for a while now, but at its peak eight technicians were present at any given moment to install various equipment. Additionally, about half of ASCAPR’s operations management staff visited the site at various points in the project, some staying to orchestrate the process through its entirety. At one point, 90 rental generators were installed, ranging from 25kW to 400kW, along with about 100 distribution panels and 15 miles of power cable. Almost all of ASCAPR’s smaller rental air conditioners were installed on Mexico Beach, consisting of about 500 units from one to one and a half tons capacity.
With lighting and 10 miles of fencing, American Spot Cooling & Power Rental provided property security to part of the beach. We also facilitated 60 climate-controlled containers to house victims of the storm while restoration efforts were made. Considering all aspects of the job, Mexico Beach has proven to be one of the most complex and multifaceted projects we have handled in our history. However, thanks to our prompt response times, experienced management and technician staff, and adeptness in creating the best solutions, ASCAPR was able to significantly aid restoration efforts in an area most critically impacted by Hurricane Michael.
