Direct Energy Case Study: Back to Normal With Mobile Recovery Center

THE CHALLENGE 

After taking a hit from a devastating hurricane Harvey in 2017, Houston had to go through yet another misfortune—Tropical Storm Imelda. Heavy rain and record-breaking floods left an estimated $5 billion in damages in just a couple of days across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. 

At least 1,700 Harris County homes were flooded, and an enormous number of businesses were affected, with some being severely damaged. Among those companies in the path of the storm was one of Direct Energy’s off-site locations. 

As soon as the waters receded, the management needed to bring their team back to keep the lights on in the community. However, with such a vast territory ravaged by the storm, how does a business maintain its operations at a turbulent time like this? 

THE SOLUTION

Agility’s team worked with Direct Energy for the past five years to keep their branch location fully functional. So when our Operations Team received an alert, they were ready to respond with an action plan set to be implemented in 24 hours.

The most efficient and convenient solution was transporting a fully equipped Mobile Recovery Center to a designated location.

WHAT AGILITY DID

In just 24 hours, the Agility team coordinated the logistics, the paperwork process, established a recovery plan, and delivered a Mobile Recovery Center, along with network communications, voice connectivity, facility placement, long term physical security, and desktop imaging right to Direct Energy’s parking lot. Constructed in 24 hours, a mobile recovery center fully replicates an office setting, featuring the equipment, workstations, HVAC, and a restroom area. 

When one of our facilities becomes inoperable, I can make a single call to Agility and have confidence that the facility will be back on-line quickly, regardless of communications, office equipment, employee workspace, or backup power needs. One call solves it all, allowing me to focus on keeping our people safe, restoring our processes, and serving our customers.

James Rountree Head of Resilience, Business Continuity, Incident & Crisis Management

Agility didn’t just deploy necessary equipment to a client’s recovery location —we leveraged our professionals, field-tested knowledge, and 30-year expertise to help Direct Energy fulfill their mission of protecting their community and people.

We worked closely with the client to develop an action plan that fits the urgency of the unfolding events. We brought out deep industry skills, unrivaled industry expertise, and a strong reputation together to make this recovery go as planned. 

THE RESULTS

It’s never a straight path when it comes to dealing with recovering from a natural disaster. In a time like this, it’s important to be confident in tomorrow. Agility made this recovery smooth by providing ongoing support and expertise of our operations team. The team at Direct Energy continued to work out of the mobile unit until December, and moved into their renovated office with no interruption or wait time. In the heat of the moment, when one of our members needed us the most, the Agility team was a phone call away. For both events, in a matter of 48 hours, our Operations team coordinated, assembled, deployed, and set up all the resources and technology necessary for Direct Energy to withstand any disruption and continue serving its community. 

Regardless of its size, downtime can leave a lasting effect on operations, resulting in missing data, lost revenue, and damaged reputation. While the region is still getting back to normalcy, there’s no telling what the residents and businesses can expect the following season. One thing is certain: we are entering a time where disruption caused by weather-related events is the new normal.