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United Rentals Establishes Emergency Response Center

Words: David BenincasaUnited Rentals, Inc., one of the leaders in the equipment rental industry, has moved quickly to establish a 24-hour emergency response center dedicated to deploying resources in the regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Telephone calls to United Rentals branches in the affected areas are automatically rerouted to the center, which also accepts direct, toll-free calls. The bilingual emergency response team, based at the company's Shelton, Conn., customer service facility, "was fully activated within 24 hours of the hurricane's first hit in the Gulf region," says Ernie Delle Donne, vice president of national accounts and government sales for United Rentals.

Employees from branches as far away as Chicago and Toronto have arrived in Shelton to staff the telephones and arrange the distribution of disaster recovery equipment and contractor supplies. In the first 48 hours of the hurricane's aftermath, the center fielded more than 1,100 calls directly related to Katrina, Delle Donne says.

"There's a lot we can do as a company to help with the logistics of the relief and recovery efforts," Delle Donne continues. "Right now, our priority is to respond to every need as completely and rapidly as possible. 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."
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