Veteran-led disaster response organization Team Rubicon began the heavy equipment operations of Operation Hard Hustle—an outreach effort to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey—with equipment and on-site support personnel provided by Case Construction Equipment. Initial heavy equipment operations included debris removal and home demolition near Rockport and Aransas Pass, Texas, where the eye of Hurricane Harvey made landfall. Sonsray Machinery of California also shipped compact track loaders in for the operation, and Michelin North America donated sets of its Tweel airless radial tires to outfit skid-steers working in demolition applications.
“This is the most severe disaster the heavy equipment operators at Team Rubicon have been deployed to since the inception of the equipment operation training program in 2015,” said Scott Harris, vice president—North America, Case Construction Equipment. “What Case staff saw in Rockport and surrounding areas were communities coming together to lift each other up and rebuild, and Team Rubicon is there at the forefront. It’s that sense of community and civic responsibility that drove us, and dealers like Sonsray, to step up and join them in Texas.”
Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Team Rubicon has deployed 768 volunteers to Texas in support of the ongoing relief efforts with debris removal, damage assessments, muck outs, expedient home repair and chainsaw operations. Strike teams on the ground have conducted more than 5,000 damage assessments and serviced 135 homes.
Doosan Bobcat is donating more than $325,000 worth of Bobcat equipment and Doosan Portable Power light towers and generators to assist with Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma relief efforts. The company is also providing financial assistance to affected Doosan Bobcat North America dealership employees and their families, and Doosan Bobcat North America employees will direct annual charitable drives toward assisting those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
In the days before Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, Doosan Bobcat expedited equipment and attachment deliveries to impacted areas to be prepared for cleanup efforts. Doosan Bobcat also took steps to expedite equipment deliveries to southern Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma.
“Doosan Bobcat has been on the scene helping communities recover from natural disasters for more than 50 years,” said Rich Goldsbury, president of Doosan Bobcat North America. “We have a ready-response program that ensures Bobcat equipment and other assets are readily available to help out local communities, our dealerships and their employees. Our support and prayers go out to those affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.”
The Toro Co. has been awarded a national cooperative contract by the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) for commercial turf maintenance equipment, commercial and residential irrigation equipment, residential and landscape contractor products and Boss snow management products. The new contract is valid for use in both the U.S. and Canada, which marks the first cooperative contract option applicable in Canada.
“We’re excited about the opportunities that this new partnership with NJPA will produce,” said Richard Olson, president and CEO of Toro. “Offering top-quality Toro equipment to the 40,000-plus members of NJPA means that municipalities, educational entities and nonprofit organizations across the continent will now have increased access to a diverse lineup of Toro and Boss products.”
Photo: Case Construction Equipment and Matt Mateiescu, Team Rubicon
