Emergency Disaster Relief

Hurricane Sandy slammed the coast of the northeastern U.S. as a Category 2 storm in October 2012. The storm, affecting 24 states and causing an estimated $65 billion in damage, inflicted severe damage in New Jersey and New York.

When Sandy’s storm surge reached New York City, it flooded streets, tunnels and subway lines and caused massive power outages throughout the city. When devastation like this occurs, quick response is essential to Caterpillar customers. Through the mobilization of temporary power to customers throughout the region, the Electric Power team and the Cat® dealer network supported the recovery efforts in the region.

After the storm hit, more than 1,400 generator sets – creating an astounding 1.1 GW of power – were deployed directly to hundreds of customers, including gas stations, hospitals, supermarkets, and commercial and industrial facilities.

Cat dealers across the country sent equipment, personnel, and other resources to help the affected areas. The Caterpillar Electric Power division team helped coordinate the response.  

“I’m proud of how everyone in the Cat Rental Power network came together to help out those affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said Rick Rathe, global manager, Cat Rental Power. “Our dealers and suppliers worked tirelessly to mobilize equipment to where it was most needed, and hundreds of our technicians were out in the field ensuring the equipment was running smoothly. The storm was big, but our response was even bigger.”

For one Caterpillar customer, NYSE Euronext, the backup power of Cat generator sets allowed them to open the markets and run the NYSE trading floor for three days, when the area around them was completely without power. Read more now by downloading the Power Profile.