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Home::Environment
Rebuilding and Restoring in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Author : Anne-Marie Fleming
Rebuilding and Restoring in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Gulf Water Clean-Up and Infrastructure Rebuilds Face the Water
Industry Moving Forward
By Ann-Marie Fleming, www.Water-Stocks.com September 2005
As the clean up and recovery of the Louisiana area continues,
focus surrounds the region's water systems that had been shut
down, damaged and contaminated as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
As the toxic water is being pumped out of New Orleans, the
industry and the nation faces many issues as it moves forward.
While much remains uncertain in terms of the full impacts that
Katrina has had on the water industry, concerns regarding
environmental contamination, rebuilding of the regions'
infrastructure and future measures towards prevention have many
insiders evaluating the direction of the water sector.
Preliminary efforts at assessing the impact of this disaster
point towards the area of water infrastructure, according to
Neil Berlant, First Vice President and Managing Director - Water
Group, The Seidler Companies. "We are under-invested in
infrastructure and rebuilding deteriorating infrastructure and
this catastrophe heightened that awareness," stated Berlant.
As described by Bjorn von Euler, ITT Industries, the first wave
of industry response involves dewatering efforts, which are
currently taking place, with the second wave being realized in
the upcoming need for re-construction. According to Mr. von
Euler, this phase will involve, "Getting power and a safe water
supply running; cleaning the area and plants from contamination
of salt water and chemicals; the assessment of damage and new
plans for the city. New infrastructure will be needed; new
construction of buildings, homes, roads and so on. This will
take many years."
An area of infrastructure that has yet to be fully evaluated is
the potential damage undertaken by the area's roadway systems
that have in large part been submersed under water for an
extended length of time. As William Brennan, Managing Director &
Senior Portfolio Manager at Boenning & Scattergood explains.
"Road buckling caused by water submersion for over a month has
not truly been addressed as one of the consequences of Katrina.
This is a perfect opportunity for local, state and federal
governments to step in and take a close look. Instead of digging
up and laying a new road infrastructure, this would be a perfect
opportunity for them to take a long inspection period in order
to determine if we are going to rebuild and how we are going to
rebuild. This is the perfect time during which the water issues
in these specific areas should be addressed."
As the repair efforts take place and opportunities to learn from
the events present themselves, the need for improved planning
has become a priority moving forward. William Prince, CEO of
Integrated Environmental Technologies, Inc. describes, "The
environmental problems that we face during disasters point out
the need for better planning. We cannot avoid these
catastrophes, we can only deal with them, so planning from an
environmentally responsible perspective, taking into
consideration the long term effects versus short term solutions,
is vital for recovery success and the avoidance of compounding
damage. This responsible attitude towards planning includes a
focus on the quality of water, not just the quantity and
availability."
Industry Relief Efforts:
As the damage and destruction left in Katrina's wake is being
assessed, the costs associated with relief, and repair efforts
continue to grow. Many industry participants, however, are
answering the region's call for help with financial assistance
as well as through the provision of key water equipment.
In response to the relief and recovery efforts, Pentair Inc., is
making pump and filtration equipment available to the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and state organizations. In a recent release Randall
J. Hogan, Chairman and CEO of Pentair Inc. stated, "Pentair is
taking quick action to make pump and filtration equipment and
the necessary technical expertise available to agencies
supporting disaster relief efforts."
Hughes Supply, Inc. has contributed $50,000, which was split
evenly between the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, with an
additional $70,000 worth of emergency supplies pledged. Hughes'
executives have also contributed $21,500 to the Hughes Supply
Family Fund, which is designed to provide assistance for
employees in urgent need. The funds will match employee
contributions to the Fund, according to a Company release.
To date, ITT Industries Inc. has donated $250,000 to the Red
Cross towards Katrina relief efforts. "We are currently working
with the contractors and authorities in the disaster area to
help with the initial dewatering efforts. We have people and
products on the ground and have shipped in 9 huge 200 Hp
submersible pumps. Each of these has the capacity for moving
over 20.000 Gallons of water per minute. The combine effect per
hour is approximately 11 Million gallons," explains Mr. von
Euler.
The Road Ahead:
Moving forward from Katrina, one area that is anticipated to
gain considerable attention entails water quality. "With the LT2
laws that are coming at the end of this year, you are going to
see people start to take a look at this more closely as the UV
market has the potential to grow between 10-15%. If they are
going to have to adopt this technology by 2010, then there is no
better time than to do it right now," explains Brennan.
While many questions remain unanswered, Hurricane Katrina has
raised the awareness of how precious water is, how cheap it is
and how much we depend on it, explains Mr. Berlant. "We have all
the solutions, we have ample both capacity to provide the
solutions and we have the technologies to purify all the water
to use and reuse it. It is just about answering the more crucial
question - who pays?"
The full extent of the damage and the road to recovery is still
unclear, however many within the industry continue to look
forward. As stated by von Euler, "No doubt New Orleans will be
back - but it will probably be a very different Big Easy."
Ann-Marie Fleming
Ann-Marie Fleming completed her MBA in the United States, where
she attended Webster University. She also holds an Honors B.A
from the University of Toronto. She has over fifteen years of
experience within the financial industry to include retail
banking and brokerage, investment banking, and mortgage
brokerage within the United States and Canada, with a firm
background in corporate research.
Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
©Copyright InvestorIdeas 2005
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