Several thousand vehicles were deployed to south Louisiana to accommodate the overwhelming demand for rental transportation after thousands of cars, trucks, and SUVs were lost to unprecedented flooding last month.
Enterprise and Hertz, combined, have deployed more than 9,000 vehicles from other states in response to the flooding that killed 13 people and damaged thousands of homes and businesses.
“We definitely have been working to ensure that we have vehicles here in the state,” says Hertz spokesman Bill Masterson.
Hertz had 3,000 additional rentals last month in Louisiana’s flood affected areas and had filled 75% of vehicle reservations by the end of August, Masterson says.
He also says 2,000 vehicles had been brought in from Hertz locations in other states by the end of the month, the latest data available, and the company is still moving vehicles into Louisiana from cities as far as Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida.
“We’re constantly moving our fleet around based on demand, and the outlook and the demand for rental cars,” says Masterson, adding that the company works with State Farm Insurance, its partner, to determine demand.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau has estimated that as many as 100,000 insured cars and trucks were damaged by the flooding. The magnitude of the loss has overwhelmed car dealerships as well as the state Office of Motor Vehicles. The office recently extended the hours of operation at its branch on Independence Boulevard to accommodate the demand for services.
In a statement, Enterprise Holdings, which operates National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car and the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand, says it had deployed more than 7,000 vehicles into affected portions of Louisiana since the flooding.
Like Hertz, Enterprise Holdings also shipped vehicles from other states to meet the demand in flood-affected areas.
Avis Budget Group, the parent company of Avis Car Rental and Budget Car Rental, did not respond to inquiries before this afternoon’s Daily Report publication.
—Alexandria Burris
