Modernizing a Centuries Old Practice
As a native Floridian, our founder, Albert Sotero, grew up seeing the aftermath of severe storms year after year. While witnessing the resilience of his community, he also saw a persistent logistical challenge: the slow, labor intensive manual sandbagging process.
Recognizing the heavy strain this placed on both anxious residents waiting in long lines and city staff working around the clock to meet demand, he realized it was time for a change. This sparked a singular goal: to modernize a practice that hadn't evolved in decades, replacing manual shoveling with a fast, automated system built for the scale of modern storm response.
To help municipalities protect their residents faster and safer. We provide high speed automated sandbag solutions that ease the physical burden on city staff, remove deployment bottlenecks, and deliver the critical resources communities need when severe weather threatens.
Emergency Sandbag Response at the Conferences Where Flood Policy Is Shaped
From national city summits to hurricane preparedness conferences, ESR is actively shaping the conversation on modern flood response alongside the officials who make the decisions.
ESR at the National Hurricane Conference: A Conversation With Florida's Top Emergency Management Leadership
ESR CEO Albert Sotero had the opportunity to connect with FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie at the National Hurricane Conference, presenting ESR's turnkey sandbag solution and discussing how automated deployment technology fits into Florida's flood preparedness landscape.
ESR CEO Albert Sotero Meets With Tampa Mayor Jane Castor
Albert Sotero with Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa, sharing how ESR's turnkey model addresses the sandbagging challenges cities face during flood events.
ESR CEO Albert Sotero Connects With NLC Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony
Albert Sotero with Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, at the NLC City Summit in Indianapolis.
Emergency Sandbag Response on the Exhibit Floor in Salt Lake City
ESR's exhibition presence at the NLC City Summit, connecting directly with municipal decision makers on turnkey flood solutions.
The Crew Behind Every Deployment
We do not wait for the storm to pass. We make sure people are protected before it arrives.
From the operators running the machines to the coordinators managing logistics across multiple sites simultaneously, the ESR team is built around one shared goal: getting sandbags to the people who need them, faster than any other method available.
We Show Up Before the Storm Does
Our operators are trained, equipped, and staged before conditions deteriorate. By the time a storm makes landfall, ESR has already been working for hours to make sure communities are protected.
Every Bag Counts
Speed matters, but so does precision. Our crew treats every deployment with the same urgency and care, whether it is 1,200 bags or 100,000. There are homes on the other end of every order.
Built on Community
ESR exists because communities deserve better than long lines and exhausted volunteers. Our team works alongside city staff and residents because protecting a community is always a shared effort.
A Single Point of Contact for Every City We Serve
Every municipality that activates ESR is assigned a dedicated account manager from day one. No call centers, no back-and-forth between departments. Just one person who knows your city, your plan, and your timeline, and who is reachable when it matters most.
Pre-Storm Planning Works with your team to map out staging locations, logistics, and deployment timelines before hurricane season begins.
Real-Time Coordination Serves as your direct line of communication during active deployments, keeping city staff informed at every stage.
Post-Deployment Documentation Provides full records of every order and deployment to support your internal reporting and any reimbursement process.