JCB donates $500,000 worth of machines and generators for Filipino disaster relief
Heavy equipment manufacturer JCB is responding to the Filipino typhoon disaster by donating machines and generators worth more than $500,000 to assist in the aftermath of the catastrophe.
The company is sending a fleet of three 3CX backhoe loaders to help clean-up operations following Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land and responsible for up to 2,500 casualties. In addition, JCB's Filipino dealer, Camec, is providing more than 120 JCB electrical generators.
The generators are already being used to power community buildings, including hospitals and local authority premises. The JCB backhoes will be deployed in clean-up operations in the province of Tacloban City.
JCB has a long history of helping countries affected by major natural disasters, and this is the second time the company has sent aid to the Philippines. In 2006, JCB sent a fleet of 3CX backhoe loaders after Typhoon Reming hit the Bicol region, destroying much of its infrastructure.
“The human suffering and scenes of devastation in the Philippines have been heart-rending, and I hope JCB’s contribution to the relief effort will help, in some small way, those who are bearing the brunt of this disaster," said JCB Chairman Lord Bamford. "One of the main challenges facing rescue workers is clearing roads in the affected areas, and the JCB backhoe is exactly the right machine for removing debris.”
The versatile JCB backhoe loader is the ideal machine for disaster situations thanks to its front shovel which can be used as a bulldozer and rear excavator that not only be used to dig emergency drains, but also to crane heavy objects. The machine can travel from site to site under its own steam with no need for additional transport.
JCB Power Products offers a comprehensive range of 170 different generators ranging from 1kVA to 3300 kVA in both diesel- and gasoline-powered models. The generators dispatched to the disaster zone are all small gasoline models which can be carried easily by two people. Because appliances can be simply plugged into these generators, they are Ideal for powering medical equipment, fridges and microwaves.
JCB's latest contribution follows a series of other JCB machinery donations in recent years to other parts of the world hit by natural disasters. In 2004, JCB donated machines worth more than $160 million to help in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami, with JCB backhoes deployed to Thailand, southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In 2008, six backhoe loaders worth over $600,000 were donated to assist clean-up efforts in the aftermath of an earthquake in Sichuan province in China.
In 2009, the company donated an excavator and a backhoe loader worth $250,000 to help the disaster relief effort in the city of Padang following the devastating earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2010, JCB donated diggers worth $150,000 to help the disaster relief effort in Haiti following the devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people. The gift of two 3CX backhoe loaders was made by JCB Chairman Lord Bamford in response to an appeal from relief agencies for foreign aid.
