June 1st marked the official start of hurricane season, and for many of our customers, this is one of the busiest times of the year. Colorado State University (CSU) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) both expect an above average level of hurricane activity, with CSU predicting 17 named storms and 4 major hurricanes this year—and it only takes one storm making landfall to have a devastating effect on those caught in its path. Officials from NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have urged those living in hurricane zones to prepare now, well before a storm comes. Here at Western Shelter, we are standing by to help emergency managers, first responders, and response and recovery organizations with their preparations, making sure they are ready before the peak of the upcoming storm season in August and September.

Those responding to hurricane-impacted areas use our shelters for a variety of reasons. Our Gatekeeper line of products have proven their durability and utility time and time again in this environment. Their light-weight modules transport readily to disaster scenes and a crew of four personnel can have our shelter set up in as little as 30 minutes (available in 286/570/840/1274 square foot sizes). If that is not fast enough, or if you have a short mission duration, our inflatable Sentinel series can be ready to go within six minutes of placing them at your desired location (available in 312/452/603/840 square foot sizes). Our new line of articulating frame shelters come in a variety of sizes for our users that prefer a shelter that sets up quickly for the team that needs to get to work immediately. Four people under the canopy can set these shelters up in less than 15 minutes. We offer a large variety of sizes to accommodate our customers (100/150/250/320/460/480/635/694/720 square feet).  Finally, our adaptable Guardian line of shelters, with their barrel-shaped frame and large size (800/1,170 usable square feet) can easily be configured for dining, gymnasium, recreation, workshop, storage facilities and medical sites.

We remain cognizant on how challenging this operational environment can be. Rain, heat and humidity not only take their toll on equipment, but can pose a strain on your team’s mental health as well. Being able to separate yourself from the harsh climate to recharge can be a huge boost for personnel, and offers a space to remain cool under pressure.  We offer a quality line of generators, HVAC units, and power distribution solutions to help keep your work environment comfortable. We have a plethora of options to suit your needs, whether its growing capabilities, a reliable back-up, or perhaps a replacement, we encourage you to be prepared and ensure that your current units are functional and ready-to-go. In addition, we offer shelter add-ons such as vestibules to connect large/inter-agency teams, tie-down options when stakes can’t be used, flooring for high/heavy traffic areas, storage for your equipment and shelters, as well as furnishings and field sanitation solutions.

Western Shelter is proud to provide a legacy of quality products to customers executing no-fail missions to support individuals and communities impacted by disasters, both large and small. While your team works to restore stability in the wake of a disaster, our shelters serve a multitude of uses such as alternate care sites for health care providers, house and feed volunteers and professionals, or command and control centers.

A few examples of our past projects have been serving in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, providing facilities for field hospitals and staging areas for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams, and operating locations for emergency managers. We were there after Hurricane Sandy, serving as an alternate care facility for a hospital flooded out of its location. We were in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria providing Veterans Affairs Health Clinics, DMAT Team Health Clinics, and staging areas for National Guardsmen, FEMA personnel, and USAR teams. 

We know the threat that every hurricane season can potentially bring. We’re here to assist in your preparation to sustain your response team’s safety during critical missions. You cannot fail, and we will not fail you.

 For more information, contact our Sales Team.