S u p e r s t o r m s and y
recovery effort, some trade group representatives said.
Fuel oil dealers that suffered losses are
���trying to keep their customer bases as
intact as they can,��� said Judy Garber, executive director of the National Association of
Oil & Energy Service Professionals (OESP),
East Petersburg, Pa. Garber said the association had heard from ���a fair number��� of
its members. For some the storm inflicted
terrible losses. Garber said she had heard
that one fuel oil dealer in the New York
metropolitan area might have lost as many
as 20 fuel oil and service trucks. She did not
want to identify the company.
���There are pockets��� where the damage
is worse, Garber said, while other areas are
considerably less affected. ���It���s going to
take a while until this shakes out,��� she said.
A concern in the association and in the
industry generally was that oilheat dealers
might over-order parts and equipment
as a preventive measure against running
out, and that might lead to shortages. ���We
don���t want panic,��� Garber said. ���You can
only install so much equipment in a day,
make X number of repairs in a day.���
To be as effective as possible, Garber
said, ���The guys [technicians] are replacing parts rather than equipment because
that���s the quickest way to get people
heat.��� Supply of parts seemed to be keeping up with the need, Garber said in an
interview with Fuel Oil News on the eve
of Thanksgiving. ���They���re not running
out,��� she said.
���The manufacturers and wholesalers
want to ensure that they have sufficient
equipment on hand to ensure the market is served,��� John Huber, president of
the National Oilheat Research Alliance
(NORA), Alexandria, Va., wrote in an
email. NORA, in coordination with manufacturers and Garber, are conducting a
survey to evaluate whether there is sufficient supply of parts and equipment.
Garber is asking service managers to
respond to the survey.
The survey���s link can be found on the
OESP website: www.thinkoesp.org in a
box titled ���Sandy,��� toward the bottom
of the page.
Also, the industry foundation Oil Heat
Cares is working to encourage people to
donate. ���All of the money raised by this
industry foundation goes to the services
we provide,��� Garber said. ���As a board,
we believe we���ll be hit hard within four
to six months���so sending money to this
charity will be very helpful.��� For more
information about the foundation, visit
the website oilheatcares.com.
Como Oil & Propane, Duluth, Minn.,
volunteered trucks and people to the
recovery effort, starting about a week after
Sandy struck.
www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | December 2012
17
