As one of the members of the St. Louis-based National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) closest to the recovery efforts in Manhattan, David Weinstein, general manager of Kennedy Electric Supply Corp. in Jamaica, N.Y., worked with NAED to relay the needs of rescue workers in New York to NAED.
He requested an immediate response to an urgent call for supplies. According to an item posted on Sept. 20 on the Industrial Distribution magazine Web site, Weinstein said the rescuers have an urgent need for the following supplies:
On Sept. 26, as CEE News went to press, Weinstein said he just received his second flatbed of donations from 30 different companies. The donations included respirators, extension cords and power cords. Kennedy Electric Supply Corp. will get the materials to the workers who need them.
Please contact Weinstein at dwein@kennedyelectric.com to inquire about what supplies will be needed. Supplies can be sent for next day air delivery to:
Kennedy Electric Supply Corp.
221-18 Merrick Blvd.
Jamaica, NY, 11413-2016
Pennsylvania electrical distributors near the crash site of Flight 93 do not expect that their businesses will see much direct impact from the crash of the hijacked plane in rural southwest Pennsylvania because the plane had not crashed into any building or disrupted any electrical systems on the ground.
“It hasn't affected us much other than the increase in security,” said Lee Hite, president of The Hite Co., Altoona, Pa., which has a branch eight miles from the crash site in Somerset, Pa.
At the time of the crash, Hite said, “It's an FAA situation. They're not letting anyone in. It's very guarded.”
Hite said security at the Johnstown and Altoona, Pa., airports had increased, and that the FAA brought most of its own supplies into the area for the investigation.
Bob Vanyo, president of Utiliserve, Somerset, Pa., said his company also has not been directly involved with the recovery efforts and that several of Utiliserve's warehouse people live near the crash site, and one worker had to evacuate his home because debris landed in his backyard.
Roy Haley, president of WESCO Distribution Inc., Pittsburgh, also said the company's Johnstown branch did not see any significant increase in business, but the crash site may have required some limited special-purpose materials.