XPO Logistics’ contract with NYC Emergency Management is renewed

Earlier today, freight transportation and logistics services provider XPO Logistics said its contract as logistics manager for the New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) Logistics Shelter Support and Commodity Distribution programs has been renewed.

XPO said its role in this multi-year agreement included managing two dedicated logistics facilities that are comprised of New York City’s stockpile of emergency relief supplies, as well as expediting supplies to around 100 shelters across the five boroughs of New York City in the event of severe weather or other hazardous events being imminent.  And at the point when a mobilization order is issued, XPO said it has a 24-hour window to deploy staff and transportation resources, stage shipments, begin deliveries and manage inventory replenishments. 

This new contract, NYCEM said, expands XPO's services "beyond the primary sheltering operation to include mass feeding and other logistics needs of the Emergency Operation Center task force.

XPO told LM that this program is staffed year-round by a five-person team that meets regularly with the NYCEM staff for ongoing program planning needs, as well as managing the warehouses and the rotation of supplies in the stockpile so as goods expire they are replaced. It added that during a mobilization or deployment, program staff can flex up to as many as 60 people, including XPO senior leadership, transportation management, procurement and warehouse operations specialists; field operations coordinators and support personnel.

The NYCEM emergency relief stockpile, which was established in 2007, includes more than one million liters of water and hundreds of thousands of ready-to-eat meals, as well as basic consumable supplies such as first-aid kits, baby formula, diapers, blankets, and other life-sustaining mass care supplies. NYCEM said the emergency relief stockpile “is the largest of its kind on the municipal level in the United States and a one-of-a-kind program worldwide since it is uniquely designed to respond to all hazards in an urban environment.” The program has been deployed for Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and mobilized for Hurricane Joaquin in 2015, NYCEM said.

The stockpile is designed to support the City’s Commodity Distribution Point Program, which distributes food and water in communities when there is a disruption of the food infrastructure, NYCEM told LM.

"The other logistical needs include the City’s response to other emergencies, for example water distribution in the event of a water contamination or disruption issue," NYCEM said. "We are prepared to use the stockpile whenever the need presents itself for the supplies stored, and for engaging XPO to provide transportation management and field operations support capabilities also covered in the contract."

XPO provides NYCEM with program planning, warehouse operations, including storage and replenishment, transportation management and field operations support. The XPO staff also assists NYC Emergency Management with integrating these services into NYCEM's various emergency plans.

“The City’s emergency supply stockpile is a key preparedness measure to ensure that needed supplies are available when needed in communities throughout New York City,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito in a statement.  “With items ranging from cots and blankets to baby formula and bottled water, the stockpile provides access to crucial resources to help New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies.”

And Ashfaque Chowdhury, XPO Logistics president, supply chain­–Americas and Asia Pacific, said XPO appreciates the trust that NYCEM has placed in the company “to deliver a fast-response, high-value logistics solution for shelter operations and commodity distribution during city-wide emergencies.”