Posted on November 2, 2021
With their entire Louisiana staff affected by Hurricane IDA, DSC estimates that close to 40% of their workforce sustained significant damage from the storm. But that did nothing to stop the generosity from colleagues, who immediately began reaching out to one another before damage was able to be assessed.
“Most of us remained in touch with staff throughout the storm, checking on their homes and overall well-being,” shared Christina Bolling, VP and Chief Administrative Officer at DSC. “Despite the massive communication challenges, our team started to reach out to one another moments after the storm had passed checking in and asking who needed help. One of our team members, who was hit extremely hard, went to check on our manufacturing facility as soon as he was allowed by local authorities. Here is someone who has just lost everything and he’s focused on checking on our facility and getting word back to the leadership team. That’s the incredible heart our team has, its truly moving and demonstrates the family culture we have here.”
Over the past couple of months, most of DSC’s Reserve, LA team has been focused on returning back to work while still navigating the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ida and a new reality at home. With so many impacted, DSC quickly created the “Hurricane IDA Relief Fund”, dedicating thousands of dollars to assist team members who needed the immediate help.
“DSC was fortunate in the sense that our facility sustained minimal damage, especially when compared to many of our neighbors throughout LaPlace and Reserve. While we remained without power for quite a while, we were able to open back up within seven business days off generator power. Even though that was with limited staff, we wanted to be able to get most of our team back to work as quickly as possible.” commented William J. Wetta, EVP and Chief Technology Officer and Co-owner of DSC.
In addition to monetary support, DSC team members jumped at the chance to collect material goods that were in need for their fellow co-workers ranging from generators, rebuilding materials, furniture, clothing, gift cards and more.
Jose Moya, a Structural Fitter who has been with DSC for just under six years, lived through the destruction that Hurricane IDA brought to LaPlace. He and his family saw their family home shatter under the strength of the CAT 4 hurricane force winds, loosing most material items in the process. “Things can be replaced,” said Jose, “but people can’t and we are just thankful that we are all safe. I can’t thank DSC enough for the support they have provided, not just to me and my family but to everyone who has needed it. It has relieved some of the stress I’ve been carrying while navigating the aftermath.”
“As a family owned business, to hear any one of our team members were negatively impacted was heart wrenching. The communication issues that everyone experienced created a slight delay in reaching some of them, but as soon as we began getting word of the aftermath we jumped into action,” said Bob Wetta, President and CEO and co-owner of DSC Dredge, “We have seen firsthand how this hurricane has affected many of our employees, and we are humbled to play a role in the rebuilding efforts. We know that there’s still a long journey to recovery for our staff and we are inspired by all of our staff that responded to the needs of their coworkers and we remain committed to supporting them in the weeks and months to come.”
DSC continues to monitor the impact of Hurricane Ida for its employees and will provide additional support to team members as needed.
About DSC Dredge
DSC is a global leader in the dredge manufacturing industry, engineering superior customized dredging solutions to meet specific application needs, while continuing to exceed customer expectations. DSC Dredge designs and manufactures high quality, durable cutter suction dredges. At DSC Dredge, we help customers make THE RIGHT CHOICE. Quality, Innovation, Service, Commitment and Customization are key DSC attributes which explain why customers choose to work with DSC. DSC Dredge operates from
three manufacturing facilities located in Reserve, LA, Poplarville, MS, and Greenbush, MI. For more information about the company and its products, services and customized solutions, please visit www.dscdredge.com and follow us on Social Media.
