Construction machinery manufacturer JCB has responded to Typhoon Haiyan with a donation of $500,000 worth of kit to assist in the clear-up.
The British firm will provide two 3CX backhoe loaders and more than 120 electrical generators through its Filipino dealer Camec.
Typhoon Haiyan was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land, and latest reports suggest that the disaster has claimed more than 3,500 lives.
JCB generators are already being used to power community buildings, including hospitals and local authority premises, and the backhoes will be deployed in clear-up operations in the province of Tacloban City.
The two JCB 3CX backhoe loaders can be used for a number of purposes, including bulldozing, drain digging, and the craning of heavy objects.
The small, petrol-fuelled electrical generators, meanwhile, can be carried by two people, and are ideal for powering electrical devices such as medical equipment, fridges, and microwaves.
The donation was made by JCB chairman Lord Bamford in response to an appeal from relief agencies for foreign aid.
“The human suffering and scenes of devastation in the Philippines have been heart-rending, and I hope JCB’s contribution to the relief effort will help, in some small way, those who are bearing the brunt of the disaster,” Lord Bamford commented.
“One of the main challenges facing rescue workers is clearing roads in the affected areas, and the JCB backhoe is exactly the right machine for the job of removing debris.”
The latest contribution follows a series of similar JCB machinery donations over recent years. The company sent more than $1.5m of machinery to assist in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami.
In 2008, six backhoe loaders worth more than $600,000 were donated to help in the wake of the earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. In 2009, JCB donated $350,000 of kit to help in the relief effort following an earthquake that affected the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2010, the firm provided machinery worth $150,000 to assist in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, which killed tens of thousands of people.
