A group of Cat articulated haul trucks have been saving lives in flood-stricken Houston.
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Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the coast of southern Texas, striking the city of Houston particularly hard. Widespread flooding has claimed many lives and driven tens of thousands from their homes.
Although a large number had already evacuated the city, many of those who remained were trapped by the rapidly rising water. Rescue efforts have continued around the clock to get them to safety.
Initially three Cat 745C articulated haul trucks were supplied by Cat to help get to stranded residents.
“We delivered three new 745Cs recently to a local earthmoving contractor,” Caterpillar Houston district sales manager Ryan Beasley says.
“They used the trucks throughout downtown Houston yesterday to help rescue people trapped on their roofs by the quickly rising water,” Beasley adds.
On top of the three 745Cs, local Cat dealer Mustang Cat received a request from the Houston Police Department for an additional truck to help with rescues and to deliver food to isolated shelters. Mustang Cat delivered a 740B articulated hauler a few hours later.
While initially focused on reaching people in their homes, Caterpillar says it is gearing up to support the recovery and rebuilding efforts by supplying construction machinery, light towers, portable generators and over 100 different attachments.
Caterpillar has also donated palettes of portable generators to the American Red Cross to power kitchens and other shelters in impacted areas.
“We have all heard stories about how the products we design, build and support have helped to build many infrastructure projects around the world,” Cat articulated trucks product manager Brent Losey says.
“However, it’s rare for us to see our products so directly and immediately impacting the lives of people in such a positive way.”