How Forklifts Help After Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters Often Leave Towns Leveled

Throughout the world, natural disasters constantly affect millions of people. Unfortunately, they are an inevitable part of life. From the most recent natural disaster to hit the United States, Hurricane Dorian, to the devastation left after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, these disasters lead to countless lives being uprooted. Their homes are destroyed, and they are often left with only a few of their belongings.

Natural disasters cause millions of dollars’ worth of property, destroying people’s homes, office buildings, stores, roads, and schools. Natural disasters aren’t just hurricanes. They can also be:

• Tornados
• Earthquakes
• Floods
• Mudslides
• Droughts
• Wildfires

Each of these disasters can be devastating in their own ways, yet the results are often the same. You can’t prevent them from happening. However, you can prepare yourself for them and react accordingly to help with recovery and clean-up following them.

One piece of equipment that can help you in natural disaster preparation and relief is forklifts. Because of their capabilities, they are a crucial aspect of helping those who have had their lives turned upside down. Forklifts allow rescue workers the opportunity to clear space for those affected. You can give those hurting a chance to feel relieved and hopeful. You don’t even need to buy a forklift because forklift rentals are available. Some companies and businesses will donate them, or you can always rent one. As long as you have an individual who is certified to operate a forklift, you can provide people with tremendous relief.

DISASTER RELIEF

Typically, natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes throw all kinds of debris miles from their original spot. They can rip roofs off of homes, throw cars blocks away, rips trees from the ground and into buildings, and so much more. Hurricanes can even lead to flooding, washing away cars and other pieces of property. The power of the winds and rushing water combined can rip homes from their foundations and wash them away.

Regardless, disasters leave homes, businesses, schools devastated. Forklifts can help make relief efforts go much smoother by lifting heaving objects or loading up other equipment. Here are some ways forklifts can provide relief in the wake of a natural disaster:

Lifting heavy objects:

The sole purpose of a forklift is to lift objects that no one person can lift on their own. In the moments of disaster, this could be anything from an uprooted tree to overturned cars. Forklifts can be brought in to safely and efficiently move these objects out of the way to clear areas. When buildings collapse, people are sometimes left behind, trapped under the weight of what used to be their home. With the help of a forklift, you can go through the rubble and destroyed walls to find anyone that has survived the disaster in a more efficient manner.

Cleaning up debris:

Forklifts can also help clean away any debris. Instead of having to pick up each piece separately, you can utilize a forklift to load as much debris within its weight-bearing limits to speed up the clean-up process. Debris makes it hard for any rescuers to get to certain locations and help trapped or hurt people. Forklifts remove any obstacles in their way.

Loading Supplies:

One of the most important parts of disaster relief comes in the form of relief supplies. After these incidents, many people are left with no food or water, no clothes, and no shelter. Often, these supplies are shipped in bulk to areas that have been greatly impacted by these catastrophes. However, loading and unloading these supplies one by one can be time-consuming. With a forklift, you can easily load up all of the supplies you need into a truck and easily unload them. This allows you to save time to put more focus on treating the injured and cleaning debris.

PREPARATION

We all know how destructive hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes can be. They rip through walls, tear down buildings, throw cars around, and destroy any piece of property in their way. Knowing this, you should always be prepared for a natural disaster, regardless if one is immediate or not. Often for hurricanes, you are given a few days to prepare for them, but for disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes, you are given little to no time. However, you can still stay prepared. A forklift can help you prepare by:

• Helping you lift boats out of the water to get them to safety before a hurricane.
• Moving large loads of sandbags to help prevent or limit flooding in homes and warehouses.
• Ensuring that supplies such as food, water, clothes, and more are ready to go once the disaster has passed.
• Loading valuable possessions people own into trucks to send them somewhere to be safely stored. This allows people to have something left if the disaster does destroy their home.

Warehouse Preparation

Business can also be just as impacted. These catastrophes can wreck your chain of supply by halting the amount of work that is done while simultaneously causing you to lose part of your inventory and equipment. For business owners that live in areas with frequent potential natural disasters, you must also remain prepared for the worst. You can do this by:

• Moving larger pieces of expensive equipment to safe spaces to preserve them.
• Helping with an inventory check. You can quickly check how your inventory to see how badly your products were hit.
• Moving sandbags into your warehouse to help prevent or limit flooding.
• Quickly cleaning your warehouse to ensure that less damage is done.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your business can get back on track much faster. If you don’t, these storms and earthquakes can destroy your equipment and inventory, forcing you to scramble to replace any inventory lost without the use of your equipment. These disasters don’t just wreck the lives of civilians, but they also mess with the operations of many different industries.

As we have stated before, natural disasters are inevitable. There is no stopping them. You can only react to them. They often leave communities ravaged, destroying cars, buildings, homes, and more. Many are left without homes or a way to properly respond to these catastrophes. Thankfully, forklifts help those in need. They can remove debris to make clean up that much easier, help load and unload supplies to bring to those in need, and much more. If you need a forklift to buy or rent in cases of a natural disaster, contact Ace Equipment.