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United Rentals CEO Michael Kneeland on the rescue and recovery for the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
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Article thank you.
Super storm sandy leaving a multi billion dollar cleanup effort -- will require an almost on a National -- amount of equipment to.
Fix the mess that we're facing right -- our next guest has.
Much to do it yeah Michael Palin is here the president CEO of United Rentals large equipment rentals but company the United States -- with -- and what what do -- what's this week been like for you.
Well as you can imagine -- been very crazy.
A lot of activity going on first your preparation for storm.
Unlike other disasters you can anticipate a storm but this is -- the magnitude of the storm was enormous as we known -- today.
So typically what happens in our businesses.
We see equipment come off friend anticipation of the storm but shortly thereafter we are trying to respond to -- clean up.
With the large demand for power and -- is just talk through the roof.
Well do you have and as you talk about this might talk about the types of equipment that United Rentals and deals with.
Do you have enough equipment to meet the task at hand at this point and -- where you drawing resources from well.
We first first part of your question is it's it's very difficult to meet everyone's demand.
We do our best in anticipation we stage equipment and events.
We have a broad network seven point four billion dollars with a fleet that we can move off from one part of the country to another.
But as -- stated its first and foremost it is the the recovery.
Items like pumps and generators.
Material handling forklifts and earth moving equipment.
So anticipation of this we -- not -- staged equipment but we also stage our first responders.
Assistance from other parts of the country to come in and help our employees.
Is there any shortage whether it's human nor in terms -- equipment right now that you're seeing more people.
People individually can help our other company is there is there anything we need that were not getting.
Well I think obviously you know generators and pumps just the you know -- huge demand that we're seeing right now.
The other thing that we're seeing is here and fuel once you get these that this equipment you have to maintain the fuel for -- equipment because diesel or gas.
And as you saw earlier -- when -- reports the gas lines.
Are enormous so -- we've been working with our vendors to help.
Bring fuel and in fact we were able to help the mayor's office when -- -- for his generator judge justice.
In the past couple days.
With this disaster and perspective in terms of the that link that -- cleanup effort might take when you look at because you worked and were involved and their efforts after 9/11 and even after Hurricane Katrina.
It's gonna take years.
First -- -- motion you gonna see the clean up and the recovery.
Then you have to going to assess what what can be rebuilt how they're gonna rebuild it engineering drawings.
So I see -- I see the rebuilding over the next several years.
The good part of -- is is that we are resilient.
This particularly this part of the country we are -- -- rebuild.
Like it was great thing thank you think you -- like -- and CEO of united Reynolds they now Mike -- come back with.
