Blog

After Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast in late-August 2011, portable trash pumps removed an estimated 30 million gallons of floodwater from New York’s waterlogged tunnels and subway stations, flooded basements across New Jersey, and submerged roads in low-lying areas as far north as Vermont.

While trash pumps — aka dewatering pumps —  generally operate behind the scenes to pump sewage and drain water from construction sites, they took center stage in the areas engulfed by Irene, and later, Sandy.

The immense cleanup effort set the stage for a battery of gasoline-driven pumps made by Berkeley, PTO-powered pumps by TrunkPump and a host of diesel and electric-powered models by Little Giant, Franklin Electric and other manufacturers to demonstrate their capacity and, in some cases, yield to weakness.

Lessons learned during superstorms have resulted in the development of improved model trash pumps with more-powerful engines, enhanced portability and faster dewatering capabilities. As a result, today’s pumps are sturdier, more mobile and better able to tear through the blankets, sneakers and plastic bags that disabled earlier models.

The East Coast has enjoyed a quiet hurricane season this year and it is with gratitude and vigilance that we look back on events that became dewatering pump primers for Pump Products staff and much of the Northeast.