ATLANTA – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Nov. September 2021–
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced the rapid delivery of over 140,000 relief supplies from its Disaster Relief Hub to help humanitarian aid partner Save the Children respond to the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Ida. Amazon donated critical supplies to help Save the Children as the organization helps devastated communities recover as quickly as possible. Amazon will donate more supplies while other humanitarian aid partners identify needs and request additional assistance. Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 storm on August 29, with winds reaching 250 miles per hour and a severe storm surge that supplied more than one million homes and businesses with electricity.
Save the Children began identifying emergency needs in the area immediately after the hurricane, and Amazon immediately jumped into action to provide relief supplies. Amazon employees loaded trucks and transported supplies less than 72 hours after Hurricane Ida landed to deliver water, toiletries, and children's supplies, including diapers, wet wipes, and toys, along with other needed items. The supplies have been delivered to Save the Children, who will distribute supplies directly to the people in the affected areas of Louisiana.
“Hurricane Ida hit on the 16th. It was heartbreaking to see the impact Hurricane Ida had on so many Americans, and we know there are many people in need of help right now,” said Abe Diaz, disaster relief director at Amazon. “The Disaster Relief Hub enables Amazon to anticipate needs, respond more quickly, and provide relief to communities hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters. We hope that our operational and logistical skills will help our humanitarian partners deliver aid quickly and empower communities struggling in the midst of this disaster. “
Amazon officially opened its Disaster Relief Hub earlier this year to shorten the response time between the on-site emergency team's assessment and the arrival of relief supplies. These efforts can often take days after a natural disaster like Hurricane Ida. To reduce response time, Amazon analyzed four years of data on efforts to support natural disaster relief. The company then created a pre-positioning strategy for community partners to provide the most frequently needed relief supplies. After initially providing the most urgently needed supplies, Amazon is now working with its partners to identify other supplies from Amazon's vast selection of products to meet additional, unique critical needs. Amazon is also preparing to send water, MEals Ready to Eat (MREs), shelter materials, rubble removal equipment, and more to other humanitarian aid partners.
“After Hurricane Ida, many children and families are unsure of what the future holds and it is important that they get the support they need to recover,” said Jeanne-Aimee De Marrais, senior director for US – Emergencies at Save the Children. “In times of crisis like this, strong partnerships can make a big difference. Save the Children is proud and grateful to be working with Amazon and its Disaster Relief Hub to ensure children and their families receive critical child-friendly supplies quickly to aid their recovery. “
Amazon customers can support the relief efforts of Hurricane Ida by donating to humanitarian aid organizations. You can also use your Alexa-enabled devices by saying, “Alexa, I want to donate to helping Hurricane Ida.”
As of 2017, Amazon has donated more than 15 million in-kind contributions in response to over 70 natural disasters around the world. Amazon's disaster relief and response efforts in 2021 included donating and delivering more than 2.8 million emergency items to aid on-site relief efforts to a massive earthquake in Haiti; severe flooding in Western Europe and New South Wales, Australia; Forest fires in Turkey and Canada; a tornado in the Czech Republic; a volcanic eruption in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Monsoon season in India; and the winter storms in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. We also donated essential medical equipment to support hospitals and other COVID-19 care facilities across India, as well as personal protection items to vulnerable communities in Nepal and Chile.
Amazon's disaster relief and response efforts leverage Amazon's tremendous operational excellence, innovative technologies, and global logistics network to provide rapid and effective support to global operations to combat major natural disasters. Amazon has stocked cargo planes and shipped truckloads of Amazon-donated items to hurricane-ravaged communities, sent solar-powered lights to people living without power after tsunamis, enabled customers to easily donate products and cash on Amazon.com, and supported organizations like Governments and nonprofits accelerate response efforts through our Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services.
Via Amazon
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SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc.
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PUB: 02.09.2021 8:10 am / DISC: 02.09.2021 08:10 am
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