UPS Assists FEMA During COVID-19 Crisis

During the coronavirus pandemic, it has become critical to maintain the flow of essential supplies across the globe, as many countries are in lockdown

09:34 06 May 2020

Due to these lockdown restrictions, manufacturing units have been forced to close, and people are facing shortages of many essential items and services. Health care officials have now warned governments about the shortage of supplies, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deciding to contribute by providing assistance to US communities and states.

Since the US has been smashed by record numbers of Covid-19 cases, President Trump has announced a national emergency while invoking special statutory authority. Governors are now allowed to tap into the resources offered by FEMA, including essential supplies which are currently in high demand.

The NRDC states, “The COVID-19 pandemic’s unprecedented scale of economic, health, and social impacts in the United States has challenged traditional disaster management, requiring unconventional application of federal disaster laws. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—more commonly known for assisting communities afflicted by extreme hurricanes and floods—has taken the lead for coordinating the federal response to COVID-19.”

FEMA is now engaged to the highest level of activities in the nation. President Trump recently announced through White House that this is a whole new and different situation for FEMA, but as they will go through it, they will learn to manage it.

It is important to mention that FEMA is primarily associated with natural disasters and was set up to provide relief during extreme weather events. FEMS is known to aid in terms of necessary resources, coordinate with other agencies and deploy personnel wherever needed. However, in order to handle the present Covid-19 crisis, FEMA needs to deploy supplies and personnel across the nation while providing assistance to the health and human service department to ensure multiple Covid-19 testing centres can be established.

It’s important to mention that this Covid pandemic sees FEMA functioning in unprecedented ways, as the organisation continues to implement plans and strategies to combat this devastating disease. However, like everything new, sometimes there are teething problems, as FEMA struggles to be as efficient as usual, proving how weather disasters are difficult but perhaps not as difficult as a global pandemic.

UPS extending its help to FEMA:

In order to support the battle against the coronavirus, UPS has now decided to assist FEMA, State health agencies and the President’s task force. In order to manage the emergency, the UPS healthcare professionals are working in collaboration with several private and public sectors.

Recently, UPS announced that they are going to work in collaboration with FEMA to provide supply chain services so that an uninterrupted flow of essential items and materials can be provided to frontline health workers. From adequate supply for gloves, PPE, respirators, to medical masks, FEMA and UPS are working their magic by supporting one another and multiple communities through this pandemic.

With this partnership, FEMA will now be able to utilize the Worldport facilities UPS provides. A strategy that will help FEMA to sufficiently track and monitor Covid essential shipments from overseas. In a recent interview, the chief executive of UPS said they have appointed various individuals, public-private partnerships and global networks to develop a powerful system which makes it easier to deploy test kits and protective equipment in the US.

UPS Healthcare is known for handling lifesaving medicines, diagnostic specimens, medical devices, and many other essential supplies. They are also supporting health agencies in Kentucky, Georgia, and California to set up test centres in specific Covid hotspots. Beyond this, UPS and FEMA collectively are sending support to many other states including Wisconsin, Washington, Texas, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, North California, Missouri, Michigan, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, Hawaii, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, and Colorado.

UPS has also decided to open a new 450,000 square foot facility for FEMA shipments in Louisville where they can keep all the protective supplies and equipment to ensure they have an uninterrupted supply. Additionally, UPS is taking charge of distribution and is planning to make deliveries possible overnight. This collaboration is now proving beneficial to manage the fight against the pandemic.

Freight Waves states, “UPS Healthcare, and our full portfolio of services, is providing a suite of highly-choreographed logistics solutions in support of Project Airbridge,” said UPS Chairman and CEO David Abney in a statement. “We are bringing the full power of our integrated global logistics network to bear to assist FEMA in the pandemic fight.”

UPS and FEMA are working together to maintain reliable monitoring, infrastructure, and tracking capabilities for all of their current projects. These efforts are really valuable for the frontline fighters. FEMA and UPS are now looking to joint offices in multiple locations in order to better respond to the Covid crisis. They are also incorporating the latest technologies to enhance the outcome of all processes. This fruitful collaboration can assist in saving many lives, as nations around the globe continue to fight the coronavirus. The collective effort of both organizations may help in the development of new, efficient strategies for dealing with emergencies now and into the future.

Utilizing logistics management software:

According to Yahoo Finance, “Since March 29, cargo planes have delivered nearly 300 million gloves, almost 8 million masks and 3 million gowns, according to FEMA. UPS Healthcare and the overall UPS organization are working with many public and private entities to help with the rapid deployment of lifesaving medicines, test kits and other supplies for combating the novel coronavirus.”

FEMA and UPS have employed the latest software to ease logistics processes during this challenging time. The fact is that manual processes are not that efficient when dealing with emergency situations; software tools can ensure higher efficiency and provide users with advanced supply chain features.

UPS and FEMA are now working together to ensure efficient deliveries of supplies to the health workers and patients. Advanced logistics management software can ensure efficient tracking of all supplies around the world This high-risk situation demands some reliable and convenient solutions to deal with deliveries and supplies. It will help organizations balance demands while adequately tracking their products.

Author Bio: I’m Jaylin: SEO Expert of Leelija Web Solutions. I am a content manager, and the author of freeopenbook.com and a full time blogger. Favourite things include my camera, travelling, caring my fitness, food and my fashion. Email id: editor@leelija.com