Tulsa company to help drain New Orleans

New Orleans still has a massive flooding problem, but an Oklahoma company is mixing its oil-industry know-how with the water problem. <br/><br/>Bob Layton, with Horizontal Oilfield Systems and Supply,

Friday, September 9th 2005, 10:43 am

By: News On 6

New Orleans still has a massive flooding problem, but an Oklahoma company is mixing its oil-industry know-how with the water problem.

Bob Layton, with Horizontal Oilfield Systems and Supply, says he realized the pumps they use at oil wells could work wonder on pumping floodwaters. He says Senator Jim Inhofe's office got them in to see FEMA and now they're scrambling to get 20 pumps ready in just 2 weeks.

He says they will give New Orleans 35 times more pumping power than what they've got now. "So where they were talking 6 months to 8 months to drain the city, we'll probably get it done, don't hold me to this, but we're shooting' for 20 days."

They're not the only Oklahoma connection. Green Country Pumps out of Hominy helped supply many of the parts.

Layton says military cargo planes are supposed to fly down the first four pumps either Sunday or Monday.