Industry Reacts to Hurricane Katrina

Sept. 8, 2005
While it’s difficult to get through on the telephone in some parts of Louisiana, it’s impossible to get through in New Orleans and even Baton Rouge, where RER got “circuits busy” signals when calling rental centers in the area. Those who could be ...

While it’s difficult to get through on the telephone in some parts of Louisiana, it’s impossible to get through in New Orleans and even Baton Rouge, where RER got “circuits busy” signals when calling rental centers in the area. Those who could be reached say they’ve felt the impact of the disaster.

Rental centers as far out as Alexandria, which is about 220 miles or a 4-hour drive away from New Orleans, have seen Hurricane Katrina’s effects. Carolyn Tyler, owner of The Rental Co. of Cenla, says the company has sold all of its generators and many supplies, but a lack of fuel is causing trouble. “Fuel is a problem,” she said. “We’re trying to get fuel for the store and equipment — we’re low.”

She says the company hasn’t yet donated equipment to the relief efforts, but she is sure they will. One of the company’s employees is in the National Guard and was called out Saturday to help with the hurricane, and Tyler herself is helping with relief efforts through her church.

Currently, at H&E Equipment Services in Alexandria, the branch manager is volunteering by cooking for refugees. H&E chairman Gary Bagley told RER that the company’s three stores in the New Orleans area – two in Belle Chasse and one in Kenner – suffered almost no damages and are up and running. Bagley said the stores should be fully operational by the end of this week. He added that the primary problem H&E faces in that area are logistical, helping employees to find housing and transportation. The company has set up an internal fund for employees to contribute to in order to aid affected employees.

About 200 miles away from New Orleans, Christine Fontenot, event coordinator at Grove’s Rent Way in Lake Charles, says the rental company usually doesn’t rent generators — and now they have only one left. It has also rented beds, fans, chain saws and trailers. “All of our trailers are gone,” she says. Tents have also been rented for facilities that are housing refugees. Fontenot says that some of those with events planned are instead donating the food for the event to those in need.

New Orleans is in such bad shape that in northern Louisiana, Tom Salley, owner of Tom’s Rental & Sale in Farmerville, says he’s hesitant to take equipment down to help with the efforts. He says that in those conditions equipment will get flat tires, and there will be nowhere to get them fixed.

Generator manufacturers have been besieged with requests.

“Our inventory is completely gone and we are in the process of selling everything that’s in production for the coming weeks,” said John Raber of Baldor Generators, Oshkosh, Wis. “We’re selling to rental houses and distributors in outlying areas, as opposed to where the impact was direct. A lot of businesses in these areas have been damaged and lost power.”

Ron Johnson, CEO of MMD Equipment, Swedesboro, N.J., said his company sold about 5,000 generators in one day. “We set up a command center here and devoted a large number of people to respond to the hurricane,” Johnson said. “We sold a lot to FEMA and other agencies. We had truckloads of generators already deployed in Florida in anticipation of hurricane needs.” Johnson added that in addition to the immediate need for generators, there will be a second wave in a month or two when people return to homes and businesses and start to rebuild.

Peter Cannon of Multiquip, Carson, Calif., said the company has already provided more than 2,500 generators to rental centers and other customers, as well as light towers and pumps. “We have up to seven Multiquip personnel in the area helping with distribution of those products to the people and agencies who need them most.” Multiquip’s pump product and international sales manager Steven Spence, a New Orleans native, is working with the Red Cross Disaster Action Team, responsible for communications, damage assessment and mass care for those displaced by the hurricane. Kohler Rental Power moved 30 percent of its fleet into storm-damaged areas to help its customers and it working closely with FEMA.

Not only generator manufacturers, but other construction equipment manufacturers have gotten involved. JCB is sending construction equipment directly from its Pooler, Ga., factory to help clean up hurricane-stricken areas. JCB is sending about 30 people from its offices around the world to help with disaster relief.

Volvo Rents’ Winston Leonard told RER that the franchise network members are working closely with each other and with FEMA and other organizations to make equipment available. Volvo Rents centers in Mobile, Ala., and Hattiesburg, Miss., are open, personnel is on-site evaluating needs, and equipment from a number of Volvo Rents centers is being staged for immediate deployment as needed.

Also, Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Wacker has stepped up production and shipments.

“Wacker is doing everything within our power to build generators as quickly as possible,” said Wacker president and CEO Chris Barnard. “We have shipped everything we had available and are ramping up manufacturing.”

Wacker has shipped hundreds of portable and mobile generators and pumps to customers in the devastated areas, and, as new units are manufactured, will ship them as quickly as possible to specific dealer locations in the region.

The company has also mobilized its field service trainers to the area to provide assistance to customers.

“We want to make sure that the generators continue to provide the necessary power as long as possible,” said Dave Christifulli, vice president of sales and product support. “We also understand that many people operating these generators have never done so before and our dealers in the area will need additional assistance in keeping the units running at top performance.”