CASE STUDY: EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Global Guardian is dedicated to safeguarding employees and their families from political, environmental, and bad actor threats across the globe. Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating path in the Southeastern United States, the Global Guardian team successfully navigated challenging on-the-ground conditions to support clients in need.

Overview

LOCATION: Florida and North Carolina 

SERVICES: 

• Natural Disaster Response
• Emergency Evacuation Services
• Wellness Checks
• Supply Delivery

Hurricane Helene made landfall the night of September 26, 2024 near Perry, Florida, as a Category 4 storm with 140-mph winds and a large field of hurricane-force and tropical storm winds. It was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida and the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2027.

After traveling north through Georgia, Helene reached the Carolinas as a tropical storm, bringing more than 20 inches of rain and historic flooding and causing the closure of many major roads and highways. Unprepared for the magnitude of the storm, many homes and businesses were left without power, running water, and other necessary supplies.

Hundreds of Global Guardian clients in Florida and North Carolina were among those impacted by this historic storm.

Misson and Response

Global Guardian began monitoring Hurricane Helene’s formation and path on September 23, 2024, coordinating the possible deployment of assets and geo-fencing the Southeastern United States to locate clients from Florida to Virginia.

When the cyclone became a tropical storm on September 24, 2024, Global Guardian notified clients in the region of its potential path. As the storm intensified, clients continued to get regular notifications with pertinent updates on the storm via their mobile application and email.

In order to move as quickly as possible once the storm passed, Global Guardian deployed multiple teams to staging areas just outside the hurricane’s impact zone in Florida, with its 24/7 Operations Center coordinating operations from McLean, Virginia. Working with its on-the-ground teams, Global Guardian also reserved and staged multiple vehicles and helicopters to assist with evacuations as needed.

Florida
As soon as Helene had cleared the Florida coast, the on-the-ground teams began coordinating the delivery of supplies to clients impacted in Tampa and other coastal regions while monitoring the storm’s path as it traveled through Georgia and toward the Carolinas. With power outages and communications impacted, the team also conducted wellness checks to ensure that employees of corporate clients were safe.

North Carolina
With news of the storm’s unexpected destruction in North Carolina, Global Guardian deployed additional members from its operations team to the region and worked with its team in the state to ready assets and resources. To understand the terrain, Global Guardian sent a reconnaissance team into the disaster area to confirm the safest routes, sharing details with local law enforcement and search and rescue teams.

With the majority of highways and roads closed in Asheville and the surrounding areas, Global Guardian received multiple client requests for wellness checks, supply delivery, and evacuations, including:

• One corporate client with employees in the middle of an offsite retreat needed ground evacuation to two different airports. The Global Guardian team navigated severe flooding and debris to find a safe route and transport the employees to safety.
• Another corporate client required wellness checks for employees that were unreachable due to power and communication outages. In some areas where roads were washed away or covered with debris, Global Guardian agents had to abandon vehicles and hike to homes in order to complete the wellness checks.
• Multiple family clients stranded in their homes required evacuation to a safe location. Due to the road conditions, the on-the-ground team secured helicopters and flight permits and deployed pilots to bring the families to safety.
• A corporate client with a large footprint in the area requested support delivering food, water, generators, and fuel to over 400 employees. The on-the-ground team worked ceaselessly to secure the supplies and drive them to two separate sites. As part of their efforts, Global Guardian agents conducted wellness checks on all employees and assisted with the search and rescue of some of the individuals and families from their homes.

The team was able to navigate challenging conditions and communication outages to successfully complete the above missions and many others.

TIMELINE OF HURRICANE Helene SUPPORT & RESPONSE 

WHY Global Guardian

Global Guardian's success in managing both planned security operations and unexpected emergencies highlights their unparalleled expertise and comprehensive service offerings. From meticulous preplanning to swift crisis management, Global Guardian ensures safety and security at every step, demonstrating a proven track record of excellence and reliability.

Clients utilizing Global Guardian’s services benefit from:  

• Outcome-Oriented Team: From travel emergencies to the most challenging crisis environments, client safety and security is our top priority. Our team will problem solve until a positive outcome is achieved..
• Operational Excellence: With a team comprised of highly experienced former military, special operations, and federal law enforcement personnel, our operational execution is unmatched.
• Hyper-Responsive Support: With 24/7/365 Global Security Operations Centers and local response teams in over 140 countries, Global Guardian moves in minutes and hours instead of days and weeks.
• Breadth of Global Services: We offer a full range of customizable global security and medical services over 98% of the world, including travel risk management, executive protection, medical assistance and evacuation, cyber security, and video surveillance.