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INFRABILD - magazine for construction equipment and toolsyear XVIII, issue 6, 2024

Case equipment helps to rebuild local communities following European floods

Case equipment helps to rebuild local communities following European floods

The floods and burst riverbanks suffered last spring throughout Europe have highlighted once again the importance of having the right equipment at the right time. In Austria, Germany and more recently in Spain, Case equipment has been indispensable in the recovery work of the areas damaged by flood water.
During June, bridges, roads, homes and forest trails in many urban areas were affected by the heavy rain that led to flooding throughout the entire Aran Valley (Lleida), in the North of Spain, and the overflowing of the Garona river on its way through the town of Vielha. The emergency situation was dealt with quickly and the water had barely begun to receed when the first Case equipment turned up to help.
Following the worst of the flooding, a large number of Case equipment is continuing to help in repairing the damage, in an attempt to help the thousands of affected inhabitants return to normal. Case equipment could be seen over the whole area, particularly heavy line equipment, but also some mini equipment. The 621E, 621D, 821F, 821C, 821E large loading shovels, the CX240B, CX290B, CX300C, CX350C and CX370C excavators and the CX31 compact were fully operational in the area, together with the 430 mini-loader and the WX185 and WX210 wheeled excavators.
This was confirmed by Teo Cambra, head of sales for Simorra, the Case distributor in Lleida, the area affected by the disaster. "Two of our clients are working with their Case equipment in the various areas affected, and for this reason they have reinforced their fleets by renting a few more machines from Simorra".
Simorra has rented 4 machines. The first of these, an 821F loader, to the company Excor, which works for the company Endesa on the rebuilding of a collapsed bridge at the mini electrical power station in the town of Arties, an area that has been particularly hard hit. This loader was used in conjunction with the excavator owned by the client, a Case CX240C.
The company Construcciones del Pirineo 2001 has placed its Case fleet (WX185, 621E and 430) at the service of Aran town council, the government body overseeing the Aran Valley. It has been working since the beginning on rebuilding the entire area with the help of a Case CX370C, also rented from Simorra. Lastly, as Mr Cambra explains, "We have also rented a CX290B and a CX300C to two private subcontractors, that are also helping to repair the damage caused".
Case equipment has also been an enormous help in the floods that hit Austria and Germany.
In Austria, over 22,000 ha of agricultural land have been heavily affected by the floods, causing far worse damage to the farming sector than the one August 2002 floods.
The area around the river Donau was severely affected. A Case 721F wheel loader was used together with a Case IH tractor to support the clean up operations in this area. The machines are currently used primarily in and around the cities of Linz and Eferding to remove mud and debris.
In South East Germany early in June the new Case dealership in Erlangen that recently opened in this town located in the federal state of Bavaria, sent an excavator and loader as swiftly as possible to the Bavarian town of Deggendorf, one of the areas worst affected by the floods.
Case also donated €5000 to one of the affected families in this town. The manager of the dealership, Peter Straßer, awarded a cheque to a representative of the Red Cross in Bavaria during the opening of the new facility. On the same day, the company NMB, a Case supplier specialising in attachments, also made a spontaneous contribution, providing a demolish grip to be used with the Case equipment in Deggendorf.