As many are still continuing to recover not only from the 4^th of July celebrations, but also the massive damage from last weeks storm.  Industry continues to step up and give back to the communities in which they are operating.  Chesapeake Energy subsidiary, Great Plain Oilfield Rental saw not just an opportunity but a necessity to help out their neighbors in Old Washington after the storm caused damage to their village.

Great Plain Oilfield Rental, has 25 employees working out of its field office in Old Washington. After the storm on Sunday, GPOR Assistant Field Manager, Dan Cox, contacted Old Washington Council President Ed Wagstaff to see where assistance was needed.

“As members of this community, we feel compelled to assist,” Cox said.  “Council wanted us to start with cleaning up the Old Washington cemetery.”

 

Dan Cox is an Infantry Officer with the Ohio National Guard and has coordinated clean-up efforts in Louisiana following hurricanes Ike and Gustav and also assisted with clean-up after Hurricane Katrina. He coordinated more than 15 Great Plains Oilfield Rental employees and 6 volunteers from other service companies (HB II & Energy Works) for the clean-up effort in Old Washington.

“Having been through natural disasters, I see the positive aspects of communities standing themselves back up,” Cox said. “From the time we saw this, it was just a matter of how fast we could react.”

Old Washington, as many in my county know, is just a small village with roughly 270 residents.  While many are focused on their own neighborhood clean ups, Great Plain Oilfield Rental was able to relieve some of the already overworked residents of Old Washington and remove the debris from the local cemetery.

Cox said the cemetery clean-up lasted a full 12 hours on Tuesday, another 6 hours on the July 4^th holiday.

But Great Plains Oilfield Rental didn’t just stop at helping with clean up efforts in Old Washington.  They also recognized an opportunity to provide generator support for those who need it the most, senior citizens.

The Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center in Cambridge was in desperate need of a power generator to continue to provide services to area senior citizens. Great Plains Oilfield Rental contacted a vendor in Pennsylvania (Grady Rentals) to supply a power generator to the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center.  The generator is currently providing much needed power to the facility.  When their power is restored, the generator will be moved to another facility.

Chesapeake and Great Plains Oilfield Rental know the importance of being a good neighbor.  When the storm blew through they did what just comes naturally to them, helping out those who happened to be less fortunate.  They donated their time and equipment to ensure we in eastern Ohio are able to move past this devastating storm.  I am sure the folks in Old Washington and at the Guernsey County Senior Citizen Center with be forever grateful for their efforts.

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