Salvage Direct to Feature Hurricane Recovery Notes at Las Vegas Event

While still in the midst of dealing with the aftermath of nearly back-to-back Gulf Coast hurricanes, Salvage Direct is putting the final touches on their revamped exhibit designed for the 2005 NACE Conference and Exposition Nov. 3 – 5, in Las Vegas.

The company is not new to the calamity caused by a hurricane, but the severity of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and then Wilma tested the limits of their catastrophic (CAT) teams. According to Company President and COO, Darren Horn, “Because of the massive destruction and overwhelming devastation, we knew we had to bring in our own basic services just to set up shop. The flood conditions made it take much longer than usual to recover and assess damaged vehicles and watercraft. Of course, witnessing the reactions of returning evacuees required a certain amount of sensitivity to their material losses.”

At their NACE booth #W3229, attendees can hear how Salvage Direct’s CAT response teams worked closely with insurance company adjusters to find and catalogue salvaged properties and relocate them to a nearby 23-acre steel mill site within a 10-day period. Salvaged cars and trucks, and specialty lines – RVs, ATVs, jet skis, boats and motorcycles – were set up with individual online auctions for resale or dismantling to Salvage Direct’s network of certified independent vendors. By already auctioning close to half of 2000 hurricane-related auction items, Salvage Direct is reportedly helping insurance companies avoid the trouble and costs of holding salvageable vehicles for longer than necessary.

“We’re still finding automobiles, boats, recreation vehicles and other items in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. In fact, the first week we found a boat in the water. That may sound OK, unfortunately it was in someone’s pool after sailing through a second-floor condo,” Horn adds. He went on to say, “I’m really proud of my crews and their continued hard work in the face of all the devastation. But I do think they’re tired of taking quick showers with bottled water.”

More than 30,000 attendees are expected to take in a variety of educational sessions addressing the needs of all industry segments, as well as an exposition with 500+ exhibiting companies at NACE.