Equipment manufacturer JCB sent $250,000 in equipment to Nepal after the country’s second devastating earthquake last week, after having sent $1 million worth of equipment following the first quake in late April.
JCB sent backhoe loaders and electrical power generators worth about $1 million after the initial earthquake in April, measuring 7.8. Ten backhoe loaders were made available immediately to the Nepalese Army. The first quake, which struck approximately 85 miles east of Kathmandu, killed more than 8,000 people and destroy about a half million homes.
“It is shocking to see the devastation caused by this earthquake and the resulting widespread damage and destruction,” said JCB chairman Lord Bamford.
JCB supplied the backhoes through its dealer, MAW Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., in Nepal. The electrical power generators came from JCB India’s Delhi factory. The machines were initially used for relief efforts and will later be used in reconstruction efforts.
After the second earthquake earlier this month, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake near Mount Everest, JCB sent another $250,000 worth of machines, including compact skid-steer loaders, a pick-and-carry crane, and a Loadall telescopic handler that can lift and load debris in areas devastated by the earthquakes.
“As the days have gone by, our Nepalese dealer has advised us of the need for small and maneuverable machines which can access confined areas and machines which can lift and place heavy loads,” Lord Bamford said later. “JCB is happy to respond with the donation of an additional four machines, particularly as the country has now suffered a second earthquake.”
JCB has a long history of helping countries affected by major natural disasters, providing $500,000 worth of machines and generators to the Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013. JCB also donated machines after earthquakes in Haiti in 2010, China in 2008 and southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia following the massive tsunami in 2004.
