Victims from the deadly December tornadoes are getting help from an organization based in the Quad Cities.
The American Rental Association (ARA) Foundation, headquartered in Moline, is offering disaster relief grants to rental operations and their employees who have been hit by the recent tornado outbreak.
ARA is an international trade association of owners of equipment and event rental businesses and the manufacturers and suppliers of construction/industrial, general tool and event rental equipment.
The grants are designed to help rental businesses rebuild as well as help their employees experiencing hardships following a natural disaster.
“It’s the mission of the ARA Foundation to provide opportunities and assistance for those in the equipment and event rental industry and the communities where they live,” Mary Wright, the foundation’s executive director, said in a news release.
In addition to the ARA Foundation, numerous ARA members and other organizations are helping people and communities impacted by the Dec. 10-11 string of tornadoes. Those deadly tornadoes hit Mayfield, Kentucky; Edwardsville, Ill.; and other communities. At least 88 people died in the storms.
Sunbelt Rentals, located in Fort Mills, S.C., has mobilized team members and equipment into several of the tornado-hit areas of the country.
“We have team members in the Edwardsville area providing temporary structures, debris removal, lighting and temperature control to a distribution warehouse that sustained heavy structural damage,” Walter Hoehn, Sunbelt’s emergency response and strategic customer support manager, said in the release.
“In Mayfield, our Emergency Response Team is engaging in site-by-site coordination with local entities,” Mr. Hoehn added.
In addition, Caterpillar and its Caterpillar Foundation are helping with storm recovery efforts including by providing power to wastewater treatment plants, water stations and healthcare facilities.
Deere & Co.’s Enterprise Disaster Support Program also has helped in disaster response to the natural disaster.
For more information on ARA, visit www.ararental.org.
