Southwest Water Company Aids in Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts; Restores Water and Wastewater Service to 250,000 Residents;
15 September 2005 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Shortly after Hurricane Katrina tore through the Mississippi Gulf
Coast, Southwest Water Company (NASDAQ:SWWC) launched efforts to
assist more than 300 of its employees and restore essential water
and wastewater services to a quarter of a million residents in the
region. Through its operating subsidiaries, Operations Technologies
and ECO Resources, Southwest Water provides contract operation,
maintenance and management services in D'Iberville, Gulfport,
Harrison County, Long Beach and Pascagoula, all of which sustained
catastrophic damage from Katrina. Peter J. Moerbeek, Southwest
Water president and chief operating officer, said, "Our first
priority was to assist our employees, many of whom lost homes or
sustained significant property damage." Staff from outlying offices
in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia and Texas traveled to
Mississippi as soon as access to the affected areas was possible.
They brought more than 15,000 pounds of emergency supplies,
including drinking water, food, clothing and other essentials.
Mechanics and electricians were also dispatched to assist locally
based crews in repairing damaged facilities. "The entire water and
wastewater infrastructure was virtually disabled by the storm,"
said Moerbeek, "but within two weeks, our people restored water
supply and wastewater treatment services to more than 95 percent of
our clients' customers. We also cleared debris from roadways to
enable access for emergency vehicles and residents." Southwest
Water contributed $25,000 to the Red Cross hurricane relief fund
and established a matching fund program for employee donations up
to the same amount. The company is also helping its Mississippi
employees to apply for government assistance through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. In its role as contract operator,
Southwest Water does not own any of the facilities, vehicles or
equipment damaged or destroyed by Katrina. For that reason, the
company does not believe that the hurricane or its aftermath will
have a significant effect on quarterly or year-end financial
results. "Katrina tested our employees' ability to respond to an
emergency unlike any other they have ever faced," concluded
Moerbeek. "We are extremely proud of their efforts, and we will
continue working to restore our clients' water and wastewater
infrastructure to full operating capacity." Southwest Water Company
provides a broad range of operation, maintenance and management
services, including water production, treatment and distribution;
wastewater collection and treatment; customer service; and utility
infrastructure construction management. The company owns regulated
public utilities and also serves cities, utility districts and
private companies under contract. Approximately two million people
from coast to coast depend on Southwest Water for high-quality,
reliable service. Additional information may be found on the
company's Web site: www.swwc.com.
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