Menlo Worldwide, the global logistics subsidiary wof Con-way Inc., announced Wednesday, Oct. 16, that it has been selected by the New York City Office of Emergency Management to warehouse and manage a large stockpile of emergency supplies that would be used in the event of a hurricane. Under the program, Menlo also would manage the distribution of relief supplies to storm shelters throughout the city in response to a large coastal storm.
The program, contracted to Menlo Worldwide Government Services, was implemented under the direction of OEM as part of the city’s Coastal Storm Plan. The program’s centerpiece is a specialized warehouse facility that stores emergency supplies and serves as the central point for the dispatch of relief supplies to designated evacuation areas in the city’s five boroughs in the event of a hurricane. Menlo was hired by the OEM to design, staff, manage and operate the facility with logistics specialists and systems established for rapid response to emergencies.
Since last May, Menlo’s team has been working in close cooperation with New York City’s OEM staff to identify and configure a 50,000-square-foot facility to house the emergency supplies, and develop the response plan for relief operations. This plan includes the preparation and delivery of emergency supply shipments to assigned evacuation areas prior to a major hurricane making landfall.
Under the program, when the initial forecast of an approaching hurricane is received, Menlo initiates ramp-up plans, bringing in staff to process and stage shipments, and secure transportation resources in advance of deployment. As shipments begin to move to relief centers, Menlo monitors inventory draw-down and replacement needs, secures additional supplies from vendors, and manages the ongoing response process to ensure that relief centers are supplied with goods continuously until the emergency passes.
In the aftermath of a hurricane, Menlo then works with the OEM to replenish and restock supplies within the warehouse once the crisis has passed. Under the OEM program, the center is warehousing more than four million units of water, along with hundreds of thousands of “Meals Ready to Eat” or MREs, and other basic supplies such as first-aid kits, protein bars, personal care and comfort kits, diapers, baby formula, cots and blankets.
Menlo sys it won the OEM contract on the strength of its expertise in distribution operations, rapid-response logistics, a process-based solution approach and management systems. The company also has created similar disaster recovery programs for commercial businesses. Menlo says it differentiated its proposal through the ability to leverage its significant contractual relationships within the transportation industry as well as the resources of its sister company, less-than-truckload carrier Con-way Freight, which plays an integral role in the program providing dedicated local freight transportation services for moving emergency shipments from the response center to evacuation areas.
“We’re very proud to support the city of New York and the Office of Emergency Management in this critical project,” says Robert L. Bianco Jr., president of San Mateo, Calif.-based Menlo Worldwide. “Our resources and experience managing complex logistics assignments for commercial business provided an excellent foundation for the requirements of the OEM’s Hurricane Recovery initiative. We are pleased to have the project up and running on schedule.”
