We have all unfortunately seen the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in recent weeks. These storms have upended homes, flooded entire cities, and made life immensely difficult for millions of people.
For those of us not directly impacted by these hurricanes, one of the most obvious questions that may come to mind is: “How can I help?”
Personally, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to head down to Florida or Texas to aid in those relief efforts, so I did my relatively small part and donated to the American Red Cross through a text message service that was set up and showcased across television networks over the past few weeks.
At first I wondered if this was enough. Again, thousands of people lost their homes in these storms, millions more were directly affected, and here I was donating $10 through a text message. But then someone told me every bit truly does matter, and that $10 is a lot better than doing nothing at all. Every bit helps.
The HVAC industry, as a whole, has stepped up in a big way. As an editor here at The NEWS, I get the opportunity to read about some truly remarkable efforts that those in the industry make that may not always get noticed.
For example, per a release, 200 Friedrich Chill room air conditioners, totaling 10,400-pounds of window air conditioning units worth an estimated $55,000, were loaded up for delivery to Rockport, Texas, a town almost completely devastated by Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey.
According to Friedrich, because freight transportation to the area was severely limited due to the extensive storm damage, Friedrich employee volunteers handled the transportation and delivery themselves, making the 175-mile journey to deliver the units directly to the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department. Local officials there coordinated the distribution of the units to emergency responders throughout the county based on individual needs.
“With a nearly 140-year history in Texas and so many strong ties to these communities, we are grateful to be able to lend a hand and hope that it will provide some relief to those who are suffering so much right now,” said Chuck Campbell, CEO of Friedrich.
Johns Manville (JM), a global building products manufacturer, announced it will donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey relief fund. The company also plans to match employee donations dollar-for-dollar.
“We have all been watching the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the surrounding region,” said Mary Rhinehart, president and CEO, JM, per a release. “The pain and anguish on the faces seen in pictures from the flooded areas is heart-breaking. These are the times when helping people matters most.”
These are major, important efforts from HVAC manufacturers to aid in the relief efforts. In addition, contractors have been working around the clock to help secure equipment, aid in disaster recovery planning where possible, and work on backup power supplies.
Whether it be through a donation of time and energy, money, or goodwill, we can all do something to aid in the relief efforts of these devastating hurricanes. Maybe for you it’s a $10 donation like the one I made. Perhaps it is something on a much larger scale, like the efforts from JM, Friedrich, and countless other HVAC manufacturers who weren’t mentioned here.
In the face of such a terrible situation, it is still great to see the HVAC industry step up in the way that it has.
Publication date: 10/2/2017
