Industry Responds to Hurricane Katrina

September 8, 2005 — Once a place where vacationers sought a little R&R, the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast is anything but relaxing since Hurricane Katrina pummeled the coastline, destroying nearly everything in its path. These days, response, relief, and recovery are the only Rs we can associate with the region.

While the federal government intends to seek as much as $62 billion to cover the next phase of recovery from the Hurricane Katrina, widespread response has come from private companies and corporations in the lifting equipment industry to help rebuild areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and relieve the suffering of residents in need. Below are only few of the many companies in the lifting equipment industry that have contributed to reconstructing the Gulf Coast.

• Caterpillar and its dealer network have responded to the disaster by arranging for 60 Cat power modules to be shipped from Brazil to the Gulf Coast region to power area homes, the Solar Turbines Division has been mobilizing resources to support its oil and gas customers to help restore production, the North American Commercial Division has coordinated with business units to divert additional equipment to Louisiana and Mississippi to aid in recovery and cleanup efforts, and the Wheel Loaders and Excavators Division is donating two material handlers for use by municipalities in Louisiana and Mississippi and a large material handler for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help rebuild the levees in New Orleans. Additionally, several Caterpillar employees have volunteered to use vacation time to help dealers support their customers and people in the Gulf Coast, and Caterpillar dealers also have offered to send personnel and provide other support to help the effort.

• The National Equipment Register (NER) depends largely on the support of law enforcement, and the agency is concerned for the welfare of its friends on the front lines of the tragedy. NER is providing help and support to law enforcement in the area and encourages anyone who would like to directly aid law enforcement to do so through the following websites: http://www.sspba.org/, www.napo.org/Relief_Fund.htm, and www.grandlodgefop.org/newsinfo/katrina.html.

• Thompson Pump has mobilized equipment through its branch locations and distributors to assist in recovery efforts. All pumps, equipment, personnel, and vehicles are being made available for the operation. The company's Baton Rouge, La., and Florence, Miss., branch locations are open and fully staffed with employees on call 24/7 until the situation is under control. According to a press release issued by Thompson Pump, “First, we will concentrate on areas where people's lives may be in jeopardy; then, support the property protection and recovery stage; all along, aiding in getting hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, water plants, power generation facilities and industrial operations, such as refineries, operational.” For more than 30 years, Thompson has assisted in disaster relief efforts.

• United Rentals has announced it will contribute up to $100,000 to the American Red Cross in financial support to the relief effort for victims of Hurricane Katrina. United Rentals' pledge will consist of an initial corporate donation of $25,000 and the company's dollar-for-dollar match of employee contributions up to an additional $75,000. Additionally, the company has established a 24-hour emergency response center dedicated to deploying resources in the region. Phone calls to branches in the affected areas are automatically rerouted to the center. "Right now, our priority is to respond to every need as completely and rapidly as possible,” said Ernie Delle Donne, vice president of national accounts and government sales. “Our branch teams are working around the clock to fulfill requests from FEMA, municipal, state and federal response crews, utilities and private citizens. We have a tremendous support network among our branches. Locations that are in and near Katrina's path, but were spared a direct hit, are sending equipment, supplies and manpower to the branches most affected."

• Ingersoll-Rand is helping to assist the clean-up effort by pledging $100,000 to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund, and the company will provide temporary housing assistance to IR employees who are homeless because of the hurricane. In addition, affected IR employees will continue to receive their paychecks through the end of September.

• Bobcat has expedited shipments of equipment, including grapple buckets and loaders, to the hardest hit areas and is offering a deferred loan-payment program for new and existing credit customers who may be unable to make payments.

• Wacker has shipped hundreds of portable and mobile generators and pumps to areas of the Gulf Coast struck by Hurricane Katrina, and it's also ramping up production to build generators as quickly as possible to aid in the relief efforts. Field service trainers have been sent to the region to assist customers to keep the units running at top performance.