HAWAII, USA

National Guard Soldiers Ready To Clean Maui
KALAELOA (KHNL) -- Soldiers make the final inspections on two dozen pieces of heavy equipment before it's all loaded onto the Superferry, and sails to Maui on Monday.
Lt. Colonel Moses Kaoiwi anticipates, "There's a lot of major work that needs to be done."
The story made national headlines in early December after high winds and heavy rains pummeled the state. Maui took the brunt, with over 100 properties damaged. But soldiers say they're not intimidated.

Superferry helps Hawaii National Guard
HONOLULU (AP) _ The Hawaii National Guard shipped 24 pieces of heavy equipment -- including bulldozers and five-ton dump trucks -- from Oahu to Maui today aboard the Hawaii Superferry.

Twenty members of the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Company A, also made the trip. They're joining 29 Guard members on the Valley Island in an operation to clear away debris left by recent stormy weather...


CALIFORNIA, USA

California Construction Forecast 2008
It may not become the "perfect storm" but three "bad weather fronts" are headed toward California's construction industry in 2008 and beyond. Bad enough to go into storm protection mode...

In 2007, California construction employment averaged an estimated 924,200, down 15,200 (1.6 percent) from 2006 and down 23,900 (2.5 percent ) from the 948,100-employment peak posted in the month of February 2006 (seasonally adjusted). In 2008, construction employment is forecast at 901,300, down 22,900 (2.5 percent) from 2007...


ALASKA, USA

Tundra-Cat is no child's toyHuge vehicle is gentle on Arctic environment
WASILLA, Alaska – With tires 5½ feet tall, the Tundra-Cat could be considered an Alaska-sized toy for big boys. That would be a mistake. The vehicle designed for use in the oil fields – looking a lot like a monster truck – has a tender touch when it comes to the delicate Arctic tundra. Its huge tires, at 5 pounds of pressure per square inch, do less damage than a golf cart, said Mark Tope, the man who came up with the Tundra-Cat after having a brainstorm a couple of years ago while watching a monster truck show at 1 a.m. Tope said he recalls the moderator saying, “Man, they have a big footprint.”...


FLORIDA, USA

Fugitive sought following theft of equipment
Authorities are asking the public to help them find a local man suspected of stealing several pieces of heavy equipment...


NEW YORK, USA

Sector Snap: Manufacturing Stocks Fall
Shares of many manufacturers tumbled Wednesday, following a report indicating that the U.S. manufacturing economy unexpectedly contracted in December.
...Manufacturers of construction and other heavy equipment also posted losses. Deere & Co., one of the world's largest makers of farm equipment, dropped $3.11, or 3.3 percent, to $90.01, but earlier hit a 52-week high of $94.01. Caterpillar Inc. shares fell $2.06, or 2.8 percent, to $70.50, while Manitowoc Co. dropped $1.60, or 3.3 percent, to $47.23. Terex Inc. shares fell $2.58, or 3.9 percent, to $62.99.


AUSTRALIA

Isolated residents just wait for peak
FLOODING is a way of life for residents of the small communities along the large rivers in northern NSW, and last night they were just watching and waiting. The State Emergency Service yesterday offered to help evacuate residents of the isolated towns of Coraki and Woodburn but the offers were politely rejected.
...Ms Moyle said the residents of Coraki had already shifted everything they could above the expected flood peak and SES volunteers spent yesterday afternoon assisting them to move motor vehicles and other heavy equipment to high ground...