What may be considered a little-known company to many in this area, was the subject of the Rotary program Tuesday, as Wheat Kirbo told of Storm Services and his connections to the company. He was accompanied by one of the two full-time employees of the company, Elizabeth Hopkins.
Storm Services is a majority female, family owned company with local offices in Cairo. The company, which has been in existence since 2005, also has locations in York, Alabama and Meridian, Miss.
They provide a complete package of services to those in areas where natural disasters have occurred. They are probably best known for their assistance to those utility work crews who come in to restore power after hurricanes or ice storms.
Storm Services provide trailer and tent cities complete with sleeping cots, bedding and clean linens, soap and hot running water, as well as laundry services. They also provide full breakfasts, box lunches and dinners to the crews, and just about any other services that may be needed for the comfort and safety of the workers.
They bring their own sources of clean potable water, generators for temporary power sources and propane for heat and cooking purposes.
Kirbo said the company has worked over 100 events since 2005, among them Hurricane Sandy being the largest, where they set up 32 staging sites all along the East coast over the period of a month.
In 2014 they worked a total of 26 events, including the ice storm that hit north Georgia that caused a huge power outage to the local cooperative utility company.
Additionally, the company has become involved in contracting with power companies to work with the emerging solar energy companies being installed on farmlands.
Although the company has but two full-time employees, they rely on their connections to private contractors and individuals all over the eastern part of the United States to respond to the emergencies.
Kirbo, a local attorney, goes to the sites to oversee coordination of services as they begin staging. He laughed when he added that the Kirbo family even owns a portable toilet company that supplies that service. Others from the area who have responded are Dr. Dean Burke and his wife Thea, who provide medical services on site.