[slideshow_deploy id=’103514′]
By Tonya Bockover
As residents of North Carolina keep a wary eye on Hurricane Maria, a local company has been active in the relief efforts since hurricane Harvey.
“We sent our first crews to Katy, Texas, on August 29th,” said Tracy Hardin, manager of the Fuel Products division at Campbell Oil in Elizabethtown. Campbell Oil has had multiple fuel truck crews out continually since Harvey. The company currently has several crews in south Florida distributing fuel.
Campbell Oil works together with other oil companies to provide fuel to crews such as the utility crews that are working to restore power in Florida. They also have fuel generators that are providing power to fire stations and other emergency departments.
According to Hardin, the crews are stationed at a “base camp” where the trucks come in for fuel and the workers sleep.
“Our crews start out in pretty rough conditions when they first get down there,” said Brian Campbell, president of Campbell Oil Company. “There are some nights they are sleeping in the trucks until FEMA gets down there to get things set up.”
Hardin said it was particularly bad when the crews first arrived in Naples, Florida. There was no phone service, no electricity, and no generators in place. Hardin said the Campbell Oil crews expect those conditions. She said workers are sent to damaged areas with packed coolers, charcoal grills and all the necessary items to get them by for a while.
“When our crews got down to Fort Myers, we had the privilege of fueling personal vehicles of nurses, pharmacy delivery vans and emergency room staff,” Hardin said, “so our guys meet the needs of a lot of members of the health care profession.”
Campbell Oil assisted the FEMA crews locally and in Robeson County after Hurricane Matthew last year. According to Brian Campbell, they are keeping an eye on Maria, but hope to get the crews home for a much needed break in case they are needed again.
About Author
