Drawing together an unprecedented number of volunteers from around the country, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition partners joined forces on their toughest challenge yet: the building of three homes and a church in Katrina-ravaged Louisiana. The project also marked a milestone for equipment rental leader United Rentals, Inc., which has donated countless hours and equipment usage to the popular television show. United Rentals recently recognized its employees' involvement in 20 home constructions with an online photo gallery atunitedrentals.com.

Three years after Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf region is still struggling to recover from one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history. Multiple generations of the Usea family were living in a small, single-family home in Westwego, La., while twin brothers Brad and Chad, both volunteer firefighters, continued to work to rebuild their community. The Usea family received three new houses from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which also rebuilt the decimated Noah's Ark Missionary Baptist Church of New Orleans in seven days.

United Rentals' involvement in Louisiana included more than 150 pieces of equipment coordinated through its branches in Saint Rose and Geismar. United Rentals employees provided more than 125 hours of assistance on site. Builders traveled from Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Montana, North Dakota, New York, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona to join local contractors. The near-impossible construction feat airs in a two-hour season finale on ABC on Sunday, May 18, 2008, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

"United Rentals has a long legacy of community involvement and volunteerism," said Michael Kneeland, chief executive officer. "We believe that we have a responsibility to be a good neighbor and a positive role model in the hundreds of cities and towns we serve. Our employees have done an exceptional job of supporting Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - not only in Louisiana, but also across the country. In the process, they have helped improve the quality of life for many deserving families. We're immensely proud of them."

Prior to New Orleans, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" partnered with United Rentals in the Northeast, where the crew designed and built new homes for families in Warwick, R.I., and Maynard, Mass. The Maynard project airs on ABC on Sunday, May 11, at 8 PM Eastern Time.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world, with an integrated network of over 670 rental locations in 48 states, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. The company's approximately 10,400 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others. The company offers for rent over 2,900 classes of rental equipment with a total original cost of $4.2 billion. United Rentals' common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "URI". United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index® and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn. Additional information about the company is available atunitedrentals.com.

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