'All hands on deck:' Waukesha company prepares for hurricane relief response

WAUKESHA, Wis. - In rare back-to-back landfalls, two major storms -- Marco and Laura -- are expected to strike the U.S. mainland this week, potentially leaving millions of people without power.

Ahead of the historic storms striking the southern U.S., Generac headquarters in Waukesha has evolved into a storm war room.

"Everybody starts to man the phones. It's really an all hands on deck type of effort here," said Aaron Jagdfeld, CEO of Generac. "Could mean no power for millions. They say there are 97 million people that are in the path of these storms as it evolves, so power outages are what our business is all about."

Jagdfled said, for years, his company has enlisted the help of brave volunteers to drive into the hardest-hit areas -- to keep the lights on after storms.

"Our M.O. is making sure the power is on for people when they're at their darkest hour," Jagdfeld said.

Generac Headquarters in Waukesha

Of course, with it being 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicates things.

"We will do the caravans again, we just have to think about the safety protocols -- with distancing, and masks, and everything else that has to go into that today," said Jagdfeld. "A whole new layer of protective equipment and things that we haven't had to deal with in the past."

A dozen volunteers are taking more trucks and carrying more supplies -- all done from a safe social distance. The situation may be different, but their work has not changed.

"We want to take care of our customers," Jagdfeld said. "We want to make sure that their machines, and their equipment, is operating as they need it."

Jagdfeld told FOX6 News that the pandemic has put such a demand on Generac's goods, that they are looking to hire people in nearly every department. If you'd like to learn more about those employment opportunities, CLICK HERE