NRC chairman's column: NRC member companies answer calls for help after hurricanes

It’s been nearly 40 years since the movie Witness starring Harrison Ford debuted in theaters, but it still captivates me. The film is set in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on a family farm in the heart of an Amish community. I recommend streaming it if you haven’t seen it. One unforgettable scene parallels what I’ve recently witnessed from our railroad community.

The family farm is under siege by violent outside forces. A young Amish boy sends out a distress signal to his neighbors by continuously pulling the rope on a large bell hanging on the front porch. Almost immediately, Amish neighbors come running from all directions to see what is wrong and how they can help.

I get emotional remembering it, just like I do when I think about how NRC members respond to emergencies and urgent customer needs.

Our railroad customers and the communities they serve in the southeastern United States are still reeling from Hurricane Helene that hit on Sept. 26, and then Hurricane Milton that hit on Oct. 9. Distress signals went out from railroads, industrial customers and residents in the affected areas. That prompted a response from a large cross section of NRC member companies — contractors, engineering and design firms, and suppliers — to address historic flooding and the unprecedented damage.

Many of our member companies report an outpouring of generosity among their employees. One contractor coordinated a supply run to a verified relief station in North Carolina. Truckloads of daily essentials and non-perishable food were delivered and then distributed to those in need.

Railroad contractors began working immediately to provide a range of services, from general debris clean-up, to rebuilding, reinforcing and resurfacing entire lines, and performing other catastrophic infrastructure repairs. On a broader scale, some contractors addressed general water-related damage to shore up soggy track for industrial customers.

Both contractors and suppliers mobilized a wide range of people, equipment and materials — the right resources for every task — so repairs could start immediately, including an array of specialty rail and conventional equipment.

One contractor reported providing personnel to support unprotected crossings due to power outages. Flagmen communicated with oncoming train crews, blocked the road traffic and allowed the trains to pass without delays. They also worked around the clock to assist power crews in restoring downed lines and guard generators powering signals to protect them from damage and theft.

In addition to supporting Class I and short-line railroads, NRC member companies are working with state and local DOTs and municipalities to perform emergency bridge inspections, aerial damage inspections and surveys, and bridge and roadway repair designs.

As the hurricane response — especially from Helene — extends into the upcoming months, contractors and engineering firms are supplementing workers at various lines who have been stretched thin from these natural events. Their work, to provide inspection and construction management services and to repair and replace hundreds of miles of railroad track and roadways, will continue into 2025.

You may have noticed that I regularly mention “family” and close out each of my monthly columns with the phrase, “We aren’t just in this industry. We are this industry!” I can’t think of a better example of the tangible ways NRC member companies and their employees are this industry than through our hurricane response. We all come together as a family to help each other.

Help me recognize these efforts and other great work performed by NRC member companies at the 2025 NRC Annual Conference and NRC-REMSA Exhibition. Join me and more than 1,000 other industry leaders from Jan. 5 through 8, 2025, in Marco Island, Florida, to kick off the new year with tremendous networking and information exchanges.

Joe Daloisio, NRC chairman
The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association Inc.
80 M Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
202-715-2920
nrcma.org info@nrcma.org