When Severe Weather Strikes,
Copart Responds
When severe weather like hurricanes, tornados, hail, flooding and severe storms hit a community, Copart springs into action. Our highly skilled CAT Special Operations Command catastrophic response teams deploy to remove damaged vehicles within 24 to 48 hours after the storm has stopped. Drivers work tirelessly to remove debris and clear the community of vehicles ravages and totaled by the storm. This operation grows as needed until the mission is accomplished.
Copart plans, stages and executes an operation of the needed size and scope until all the damaged vehicles are recovered, safely stored, and sold at auction on Copart.com. Our unique combination of infrastructure, tools, disaster management experience and skilled manpower means no one can respond like Copart.
Watch Copart CAT Special Operations
Command in Action
At most of the major weather events in recent years, you will find Copart CAT team members there working hard.
Hurricane Ida
Copart Catastrophe Response
Tropical Storm Imelda
Copart Catastrophe Response
Copart Hurricane Harvey Relief
Hurricane Florence
Copart Catastrophe Response
Our Elite Teams & Their Tools
Copart has several different CAT response teams that make up CAT Special Operations Command. They have a variety of equipment and tools to recover cars in any condition, ranging from hand tools to tow trucks, lifters to loaders. Here are some of the different teams that participate in a Copart disaster response:
Elite Force
The first to go in in any disaster to start processing & retrieving cars before the ground is dry.
Flex Force
Our team of auto transport drivers and loader operators certified to shuttle vehicles between locations after a storm.
Fleet Force
The Copart employees who operate our own fleet of Catastrophe Response tow trucks to recover vehicles wherever needed.
Special Reserve Force
Volunteers from all over Copart, including yard managers, Member Service professionals, support and site staff, who have stepped up to serve when additional help is needed. These individuals are specially trained to operate loaders and other equipment. They relish the opportunity for new adventures and new friends.
Copart is a member of FirstNet First Responder Network allowing us to maintain communications through their dedicated nationwide public safety network. Even if all other communications fail, Copart stays connected because of our FirstNet access.
Copart is capable of responding to disasters of any scale to do our part to help communities heal. We’ve invested in CAT Mega Yards where severe storms are most likely to hit and stocked them with all the necessary equipment to do our part quickly and capably, no matter how big or small the need.
How It Works
Copart begins staging people and equipment often while a storm is still going on. In the first few hours after the storm, Copart has boots on the ground ready to get started recovering vehicles totaled by the storm. Then, more and more professionals and equipment pour into the area to recover vehicles on behalf of insurance companies. These vehicles are transported to Copart facilities where they are properly prepared and sold in our online auctions.
This process helps insurance companies process claims faster so people can begin to return to normal life much quicker. CAT Special Operations Command is one of Copart’s unique traits that make it stand out from anyone else in the industry.
Be Sure To Do Your Part
Do the responsible thing to take care of yourself and your family by learning how to prepare for a catastrophe before it happens.
Here are some places that can help you get ready.
