Factory Direct Hose recently announced that starting January 2021, their warehouses will be stocked with $9 million worth of inventory ready to be shipped at a moment's notice in preparation for the upcoming fire & flood season.
The risk of floods after fires increases drastically due to vegetation loss and altered terrain, leaving the ground unable to absorb water. With the 2020 fire season being one of the deadliest on record for the west coast (burning over 10.3 million acres and still counting) many experts fear that intense flooding is all but inevitable in 2021.
Factory Direct Hose, an industrial hose supply store that ships nationwide, frequently supplies landscapers with suction hose, discharge hose and their accompanying camlock fittings. Suction hose and discharge hose are critical tools when responding to floods, as they allow landscapers and homeowners to siphon and redirect flood water.
“First a deadly fire, then a flood. It’s a classic 1-2 punch from Mother Nature”, said Zach Evans, CEO of Factory Direct Hose. “Large diameter suction hose and discharge hose can be hard to find in stock, especially during fire and flood season. In order to truly be ready for a worst-case scenario, we needed to increase our inventory and have it immediately available for shipment.”
The 2020 fires hit close to home for Factory Direct, which has several warehouses in Oregon. 2020 was the worst fire season on record for the Beaver State, which saw over 1.1 million acres burned and smashed previous records for hazardous air quality.
“If there was one lesson that 2020 has taught all of us, it is that preparation is essential. As a company, we want to ensure that if we have another record-breaking season, we will not run out of stock of suction and discharge hose. We want to be prepared to deliver essential equipment to those who need it at a moment's notice,” Evans said.