Pumps Get Credit for Keeping Hurricane Path Dry

ITT Corporation pumps and systems helped keep the New Orleans area free of floodwater during the onslaught of Hurricane Gustav recently, according to a Sept. 5 press release.

Positioned at 25 different pumping stations in Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Bernard, and New Orleans parishes, ITT pumps have a total pumping capacity of 20 million gallons of water per minute. The pumps serve as additional capacity to the city's existing flood water infrastructure to manage water levels in the event of natural disasters such as Gustav.

"We expected our pumps to keep New Orleans dry as powerful Gustav bore down," said Jim Peterson, managing director of the company's large pumps division in its Water & Wastewater business. "ITT marshaled its resources in the region to ensure we had the right people in place to provide emergency service as the storm approached. In the end, the pumps and people performed exactly as expected."

ITT's pumps are part of a system that serves the east bank of New Orleans by draining storm run-out to prevent flooding. When the city lost electricity during the storm, diesel fuel and standby generators powered the pumps to keep pace when the storm surge moved through the canals.

ITT Corporation of Ithaca, N.Y., is a diversified high-technology engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to creating more livable environments, enabling communications and providing protection and safety.