Distributor:
Mississippi Utilities Supply, Gulfport, Miss.
Project Summary:
Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, AMERICAN has shipped more than 1,600 American-Darling fire hydrants and almost 10,000 gate valves to Mississippi Utilities Supply Company, a Ferguson Waterworks subsidiary and AMERICAN distributor in Gulfport, Miss. Mississippi Utilities Supply was open for business the day after Katrina and stayed open 24/7 for several months following the disaster to service utilities in the region. The distributor took orders and delivered orders even before electrical service was restored, which allowed the use of computers and land phone lines.
“It's the friendships and the relationships that you build with people that make this business worthwhile, and that includes AMERICAN.”
What They Said:
“(Katrina’s) surge came inland about 1,700 feet- the railroad tracks acted as sort of a levee. Between the beach and the railroad tracks, we had 850 houses that were more than 50 percent damaged. When we began debris removal, some of those houses were gone. There were another 350 in that area you couldn’t live in, and another 250-300 that needed utility services. Another 1,300 apartments and low-rise condo units were destroyed.” – William Skellie, mayor of Long Beach, Miss.
“What Katrina did is inconceivable. All of our regular work came to an immediate standstill. Our work turned into months and then years of being on an emergency-type basis.- Scott Burge, president of A. Garner Russell & Associates, which does consulting engineering work for several municipalities along the coast, including Long Beach
“When you consider the roads, bridges and infrastructure that have been rebuilt, the amount of building activity is unprecedented. The rest of the country doesn’t understand how much has been accomplished here.- David Ball, a senior engineer with A. Garner Russell and the city engineer for Long Beach
“It’s the friendships and the relationships that you build with people that make this business worthwhile, and that includes AMERICAN.- Allen Lepine, General Manager, Mississippi Utilities Supply
What They Used:
Since Katrina, some 1,600 American-Darling fire hydrants and almost 10,000 gate valves have been shipped to Mississippi Utilities Supply Company.
