Port Orange, Fla.-based Thompson Pump mobilized its Emergency Response Team (ERT) to provide pumping equipment, supplies, manpower and tactical knowledge to areas devastated by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill within a few days of the incident on the Deepwater Horizon.

Once the extent and location of the potential damages were ascertained, Thompson Pump began supplying pumps and equipment throughout areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that were impacted by the oil spill. Thompson’s ERT is currently skimming in both deep and shallow waters throughout the Gulf as well as in rivers and streams in the bayous and marshes in order to help minimize the devastation. Thompson Pump is slated to have as many as 100 pumps, along with hoses and specialized skimming devices, to facilitate oil containment, recovery and transfer.

Thompson Pump branch locations in Hammond, La.; Jackson, and Pass Christian, Miss.; and Pensacola, and Panama City, Fla., are all directly involved with this project. These locations, along with the aid of the Thompson Pump’s nationwide network of branches, are providing equipment, service and support to aid in the environmental restoration efforts.

“Although this challenge is significant and extensive, Thompson Pump has the experience and equipment necessary to assist in the long-term restoration of our waters and our shoreline,” said Bill Thompson, president of Thompson Pump. “We are allocating enormous resources to attack this problem with the intention of enabling the citizens in the affected areas to resume their normal lives as quickly as possible.”

Thompson Pump is working closely with contractors who are tasked with various areas of clean-up responsibilities.

A 40-year veteran in disaster relief, Thompson Pump has facilitated numerous cleanup efforts over the years, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. Members of the specialized Emergency Response Team are trained to respond quickly and effectively to major catastrophes such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

For more information, visit www.thompsonpump.com/gulfemergencyequipment.

Thompson Pump’s Emergency Response Team is skimming in deep and shallow waters throughout the Gulf as well as in rivers, streams and in the bayous and marshes to minimize the devastation caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Pictured are pumps manufactured by Port Orange, Fla.-based Thompson Pump on an oil clean-up barge near the Gulf of Mexico.