INWOOD, N.Y. — Having seen first-hand how destructive a hurricane can be, Laundrylux, the North American supplier of Electrolux and Wascomat commercial laundry equipment, has instituted a Disaster Relief Program for laundries affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
Meanwhile, the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) and its LaundryCares Foundation based in the Chicago area are organizing a separate effort to direct Texas and Louisiana residents who were impacted by Harvey to laundry facilities that are open and operational.
“We had employees and customers who lost their homes and businesses, and were completely devastated by (Hurricane) Sandy for a long time,” says Laundrylux President John Sabino of the 2012 storm that swamped coastal regions from New Jersey north to Connecticut, including New York City.
That’s why it was important for his company to launch its Disaster Relief Program for Laundromats, apartment buildings, and on-premises laundry facilities affected by the recent hurricanes.
The program includes no payments for six months and 0% interest rate options on Electrolux and Wascomat equipment. Laundrylux is also waiving all fees to help laundry owners get back in business.
“All of us at Laundrylux send our support to the people in Texas,” Sabino says. “We want to do our part to help during this extremely difficult time. We are working hand in hand with our distributors in the areas hit by Hurricane Harvey to make it as affordable as possible for laundries to get back up and running as quickly as possible.
“We are also praying for Florida — and our hearts go out to the people in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It’s all about community and supporting each other.”
Laundrylux is geared up to provide marketing support to store owners rebuilding their laundries; more information is available by e-mailing [email protected].
John Olsen, Laundrylux senior vice president of sales, says the Response Team in Texas is reaching out to customers to see how it can help.
“We are making sure we have the boots on the ground and financing necessary to help restore businesses as fast as possible,” Olsen says. “We’ve experienced how traumatic it is for our customers and friends to have their livelihoods destroyed — and we know this Disaster Relief Program can make a difference in people’s lives.”
The CLA and LaundryCares Foundation are requesting that all laundry facilities in Texas and Louisiana report their status by completing a simple form. The information will be compiled into a searchable table that will be made available on the LaundryCares website and shared via social media to the local population in Harvey-impacted areas.
“Hurricane Harvey has caused a tremendous amount of damage and has displaced a great many people from their homes,” reads a blog post on the LaundryCares website. “Even those who have not had to evacuate or who have been able to return home may have discovered that they have washers and dryers which are inoperable. All of these people need to have clean and dry clothes, and, subsequently, they are seeking the local laundry facilities near them.”
LaundryCares also encourages store owners who are experiencing trouble with their store to provide their status and the association will follow up with them.
RELATED STORY: Companies Launch Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Program, Sept. 11
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