Duracell offers power to New York, New Jersey following Sandy outages

BETHEL, Conn. — Procter & Gamble battery brand Duracell is assisting with post-Sandy relief efforts by bringing a little power to, coincidentally, Battery Park in New York.



The company set up its Power Forward Community Center in the lower Manhattan park — offering New Yorkers charging stations for mobile phones and devices, as well as computers with Internet access — and sent its Rapid Responder four-by-four truck, introduced just this year, straight to the streets of New York and New Jersey. Both the power-relief center and the Rapid Responder truck — which Duracell calls its "PowerForward Fleet" — are offering battery samples to help people power their radios and flashlights, and the truck is expected to make multiple stops throughout the Hoboken, N.J., area.



"We're sending the power-relief center to Lower Manhattan because it's a high concentration of people and one of the hardest-hit," said Duracell spokesman Win Sakdinan. "But there are some areas in New York and New Jersey that can't be reached with that, and the Rapid Responder is more agile because it's just a four-by-four."



The Bethel, Conn.-based company, which also felt the effects of the superstore, had a plan for battery shortages in stores as well: Its Mobile Command Center responds to retailers in need of restocking. However, many of the local retailers had in enough batteries in stock to render this unnecessary.



"You prepare as much as you can, but demand from consumers can be unpredictable," Sakdinan said.



For updates on the Rapid Responder truck's upcoming locations and scheduling, visit Facebook.com/Duracell or follow @Duracell on Twitter.