WASHINGTON, May 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Is your business #HurricaneStrong, with an emergency backup diesel generator in place and ready in case of a natural disaster? This week is a good time to assess your business’s needs: it’s National Hurricane Preparedness Week, when the National Weather Service encourages all U.S. citizens to prepare for the start of the 2019 hurricane season on June 1.
“Businesses, governments and private citizens alike ought to make sure they are prepared for and can respond to any emergency,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. “Diesel generators provide essential power during hurricanes and other weather-related natural disasters. These units achieve full load-carrying capacity within 10 seconds of grid power outage – which means any mission-critical services experience minimal or no loss of power. Ensuring this type of resilient backup power is in place also helps minimize losses from any storm-related event.”
Business losses from power interruptions vary by sector, but are costly across the board:
- According to a 2017 survey by ITIC, 98% of enterprises with more than 1,000 employees say a single hour of downtime for mission-critical IT servers and networks can cost over $100,000; 81% of organizations report that this cost exceeds $300,000; and 33% indicate a hour of downtime costs an excess of $1 million.
- According to a 2016 survey of 63 data centers by the Ponemon Institute, an unplanned data center outage of about 95 minutes costs more than $740,000, on average.
- A 2013 U.S. government report found that weather-related outages between 2003 and 2012 cost the U.S. economy an annual average of $18 billion to $33 billion.
Choosing the right diesel generator for your business is a critical first step to successful event recovery. Diesel generators come in various mobile sizes and configurations and come with their own standalone fuel supply – important when other sources of power are disabled by utilities in an emergency situation. Many of these diesel generators are built to withstand temperatures below 0°F and built to withstand winds up to 180 miles per hour.
“Most Americans are unaware of the important role diesel technology plays in ensuring vital routine and emergency services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and especially in the aftermath of a storm,” said Schaeffer. “Hospitals, police stations, power plants, banks, cell phone transmission towers, schools – plus those systems even more essential to public health after a storm: public drinking water and wastewater treatment systems, and flood protection pump stations – most of these pieces of critical infrastructure typically rely on stand-by diesel generators for emergency power.”
Today, advanced technology diesel engines and equipment are being integrated into the newest distributed and sustainable energy systems such as renewable- and battery-driven microgrids. These new-generation systems give operators the renewable wind or solar that they want, with the reliability that they need coming from standby diesel generators.
Other types of diesel technologies also play important roles in supporting rescue and recovery efforts after natural disasters. More than 98 percent of ambulances, fire trucks, mobile command centers and other first-responder vehicles rely on diesel fuel. And after storms have passed, the giant construction trucks, bulldozers, excavators, loaders and dump trucks that move in to assist with clean-up are also powered by diesel; in the U.S., more than 75 percent of construction equipment is fueled by diesel. Diesel is also the technology of choice for large commercial trucks and rescue vehicles that will deliver food and vital supplies to help feed, clothe and provide medical supplies to storm ravaged communities; 99 percent of U.S. Class 8 trucks use diesel fuel.
More information about diesel generators and equipment can be found at Caterpillar, Cummins, John Deere, Isuzu, MTU, Volvo, and Yanmar.
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Resources to Help Your Business Prepare for Hurricane Season
- Hurricane Safety Tips & Resources: https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Emergency Readiness Checklists: https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
- FEMA’s Hurricane Readiness for Businesses Toolkit:
https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1510690297358-1e6c4874b251c3022ac4b57b0369e2da/Hurricane_Ready_Business_Toolkit_Interactive_Final_508.pdf - The National Hurricane Survival Initiative’s Business Checklist: https://hurricanesafety.org/prepare/prepare-your-business/
Tips, Advice and Stories from Our Members From the Diesel Technology Forum:
- Readiness Tips for Owners of Stationary and Portable Electrical Generators
- Ready, Reliable and Renewable: Diesel Power a Key Part of Hurricane Preparedness
- Power When It Matters: Diesel’s Role in Black Start Recovery
- How Can Your City Deliver Essential City Services and Sustainability Without Sacrificing Budget?
From Caterpillar:
- Ensuring Continuous Power through Hurricane Maria
- A North Carolina Community Finds the Power to Deal with the Effects of Hurricane Matthew
- Beachfront Hotel Keeps the Power on Despite Hurricane
- Cat Rental Power Network Provides Strong, Coordinated Response to Customers Affected by Hurricane Matthew
- Superstorm Experience Prompts Bi-Fuel Option
- Disaster Relief in the Midst of Hurricane Michael
From Cummins:
- What to Expect During the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season
- American Hero Protects His Home and Family with the Help of Cummins
- Ahead of the Storm
- Hurricane Season is Almost Here: Is Your Home Protected?
- Meet the Ezer Family: Ten Years with a Cummins Home Generator
- The Costly Reality of Hurricanes and Weather-Related Power Outages
From John Deere:
From MTU:
Resources for More Information About Clean Diesel’s Role in Hurricane Readiness
- Diesel Powers Mission-Critical City Services: https://www.dieselforum.org/cities
- Clean Diesel Emergency Power Generation: https://www.dieselforum.org/about-clean-diesel/power-generation
- Clean Diesel’s Role in Fire & Rescue Operations: https://www.dieselforum.org/about-clean-diesel/fire-and-rescue
- Clean Diesel Microgrids: https://www.dieselforum.org/about-clean-diesel/microgrids
About The Diesel Technology Forum
The Diesel Technology Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel and technology. Forum members are leaders in clean diesel technology and represent the three key elements of the modern clean-diesel system: advanced engines, vehicles and equipment, cleaner diesel fuel and emissions-control systems. For more information visit https://www.dieselforum.org/.
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