Extreme Weather and Scrap Supply Chains: What Yards Need to Know

How Scrap Yards Stay Operational When the Forecast Turns For the Worst

The weather’s not just unpredictable anymore, it’s deadly. In June 2025, tornadoes tore through parts of the Midwest and New York, claiming lives. Flooding in West Texas brought entire towns and roads to a standstill, while record-breaking heat on the East Coast pushed power grids to the brink and forced officials to declare states of emergency.

For scrap yards, these aren’t just passing storms. They’re a growing operational risk that affects every part of your day-to-day: dispatch, communication, inventory, customer service, and even payments. And with more frequent, more severe events on the horizon, resilience isn’t optional, it’s essential.

So how do you prepare when you can’t predict what’s coming? You build systems that can bend without breaking. That’s where ReMatter comes in.

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Real Weather, Real Impact

This summer has already delivered a harsh reminder of how fragile day-to-day operations can be. In late June, a deadly tornado outbreak swept across Central New York. Power lines were down, roads were blocked, and cleanup crews were overwhelmed. Scrap yards in the area were left scrambling to reroute trucks, confirm inventory, and get operations back online. Just days earlier, tornadoes in Wharton County, Texas, tore off roofs and damaged structures, another warning for yards with uncovered bins and equipment.

At the same time, West Texas was battling heavy rains that caused street flooding in places like Lubbock, turning yard access and hauling into logistical nightmares. And in New York, temperatures hit 102°F, breaking records that had stood for over a century.

It’s not just the weather, it’s the chaos that follows. Missed hauls. Lost tickets. Fried servers. Communication blackouts. These are the conditions your software needs to be ready for.

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Why Cloud-Based Software Makes All the Difference

When disaster strikes, cloud-based tools give you something invaluable: continuity. ReMatter is built to run entirely in the cloud, which means you’re not tied to a specific computer, office, or network. If your power goes out or your building is inaccessible, your business doesn’t have to stop.

You can log in from any device with available cell service or Wi-Fi. Tickets, photos, scale data, and records are all backed up automatically. If a driver temporarily loses signal, the ReMatter mobile app resumes activity as soon as they’re back online, so there’s no need to start over or re-enter lost data. You don’t lose hours (or days) rebuilding schedules, reprinting paperwork, or calling customers from memory.

This isn’t just about making life easier, it’s how you keep operations running when everything else goes sideways.

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Tools That Help You React Fast

Staying operational through a storm isn’t just about surviving the moment, it’s about adapting in real time. That’s where ReMatter really shines. You can reroute drivers on the fly, track where your bins ended up, adjust pricing if fuel or market rates shift, and access digital records from anywhere.

So while other yards are calling it quits for the day, you’re still in motion, making smart decisions, protecting your bottom line, and keeping customers informed.

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Looking Ahead

The forecast? Not great. Most of the U.S. is expected to face above-average heat through August and beyond. The East Coast, southern Plains, and the West are all flagged for continued extreme temperatures. Nearly 150 million Americans are currently under heat advisories, and where there’s heat, storms and fire risk usually follow.

If you’re not already thinking about weather-proofing your operations, now’s the time.

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Standing with Impacted Communities

While it’s critical to talk about resilience and preparation, it’s equally important to acknowledge the real people and families affected by these disasters. Our thoughts are especially with those impacted by the Texas Hill Country Floods, which devastated several communities.

To support recovery efforts, ReMA, the Recycled Materials Association, is working with both the American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen to raise donations. These funds are earmarked specifically for natural disaster relief, and they go directly toward helping affected communities rebuild and recover.

If you'd like to contribute, you can do so here:

Donate to Red Cross via ReMA →
Donate to World Central Kitchen via ReMA →

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Be the Yard That’s Always Ready

Extreme weather is becoming a bigger part of the job, but that doesn’t mean your yard has to be caught off guard. With the right tools in place, you can stay prepared, stay connected, and keep things running no matter what the forecast brings.

See how ReMatter keeps your yard running, rain or shine.‍

Book a demo now!

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