After Hurricane Katrina, for instance, relief officials used more than 300 MovinCool units, manufactured by Denso (Long Beach, Calif.), to aid in disaster relief efforts. Meanwhile, Nick Sickmen, marketing manager for Carrier Rental Systems (Houston), noted that his company had rental equipment in place at many locations two to three days before the storm. "The companies that have plans in place beforehand know that generators, air conditioners, and drying equipment go fast," said Sickmen. "There's only so much of this equipment in the rental market."
As was discovered, buildings that were submerged under water for two or more weeks not only had mold issues, but they were also potentially contaminated from all the pollutants that were in the water. (For more regarding Katrina relief, see the related story "Dealing With Katrina's Aftermath" in this issue.) Fortunately, most cases are of a much smaller magnitude, yet damage can still be significant for homeowners, building managers, and school and/or hospital administrators.