Logistics After a Disaster: It Takes Heroes to Beat Helene

When we talk about “Logistics” at Columbia Forest Products, most people think of the hundreds of trucks that pick up full loads at our mills and deliver them to our customers weekly.

But there’s a whole other side of the equation: the deliveries we receive of logs, cores, faces and supplies that keep our operations fed with the materials we require.

The good news is that Columbia enjoys excellent relationships with great logistics partners for our outgoing deliveries. We’ve got a tremendous network of loggers in the Old Fort region who persevere to find ways to keep our log yard full.

Brandie Rader, who directs Columbia’s Logistics and Customer Service areas, said that the trucking firms who ship our products have seamlessly found alternate routes out of Old Fort despite the roadway damage that hurricane Helene caused in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee region.

“It was devastating to find out that Interstate 40 eastbound was washed out, but our drivers and their organizations are true professionals who prioritize safety and scheduling,” said Brandie. “They have come through brilliantly for us. We can’t thank them enough.”

Below: Road closures in western North Carolina resulting from Hurricane Helene (drivenc.gov)

Meanwhile, Richard Taylor, our Timber Value Stream manager, has personally endured several weeks of on-the-scene experience with the challenges our loggers are combatting.

“The first week after the storm, we were all in shell shock. There was a total shutdown throughout the region. But logging contractors went to work immediately, cutting trees off the road and houses where they had their equipment.

“I’ve personally seen bridges washed out that were normally 30 feet or higher above the rivers,” said Richard. “Creeks that are normally 15 inches wide became 200 feet wide and 15 feet deep in some places.”  

“It took me three days just to talk to my parents due to the cell service disruptions. They were out of power and water for two weeks,” he said.

“I took phone numbers of people I met along the way, so I could make calls when I got home at night and tell people their friends or family were OK,” Richard said.  

He reports that the support being supplied by residents and organized by local churches are making the biggest difference, from clean-up work to providing food, water, clothes, blankets and diapers.

There’s still a lot of cleanup to do, and roads are only one lane in many places. But access is greatly improved, and washed-out roads are being repaired daily.

“Our logging crews are back at it, finding ways to get to the stands and back to Old Fort.  These people are used to doing tough work in the forests all day and have really taken these additional Helene challenges in stride despite having their homes and property damaged along with the rest of the community,” said Richard.

“I can’t tell you how much respect I’ve got for the members of our logging community,” he said. “These are true heroes among us.”