Amazon has donated and delivered over 140,000 emergency aid supplies to communities affected by Hurricane Ida, with more supplies on the way
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced today the rapid delivery of over 140,000 relief items from its Disaster Relief Hub to help humanitarian aid partner, Save the Children, respond to Hurricane Ida’s widespread damage. Amazon donated critical emergency supplies to support Save the Children as the organization helps devastated communities begin to recover as quickly as possible. Amazon will donate more relief supplies as other humanitarian aid partners assess needs and request additional support. Hurricane Ida crashed into the Louisiana coastline on August 29 as a Category 4 storm, with winds up to 150 mph and a severe storm surge, knocking out power to more than a million homes and businesses.
Save the Children began assessing emergency needs just after the hurricane raged through the region, and Amazon immediately jumped into action to deploy relief items. Amazon employees loaded trucks and transported supplies less than 72 hours after Hurricane Ida’s landfall, delivering water, hygiene items, and children’s supplies, including diapers, wipes, and toys, along with other needed items. The supplies were delivered to Save the Children, which will distribute relief items directly to people in impacted areas of Louisiana.
“Hurricane Ida made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the same region as one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. It has been heartbreaking to watch the effect Hurricane Ida has had on so many Americans, and we know many people need help right now,” said Abe Diaz, disaster relief lead at Amazon. “The Disaster Relief Hub allows Amazon to anticipate needs, respond faster, and deliver relief to communities impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters. We hope that our operations and logistics capabilities help our humanitarian community partners quickly render aid and begin lifting up communities struggling amid this disaster.”
Amazon officially opened its Disaster Relief Hub earlier this year to help shorten the response time between emergency teams’ on-the-ground assessment and the arrival of relief supplies. Those efforts can often take several days after a natural disaster such as Hurricane Ida occurs. To quicken the response time, Amazon analyzed four years of data about efforts supporting natural disaster relief. The company then created a pre-positioning strategy for community partners to help deliver the most commonly needed relief supplies. Now, following the initial deployment of the most urgently needed supplies, Amazon works with its partners to identify other supplies from Amazon’s vast selection of products to fill additional, unique critical requirements. Amazon is also preparing to send water, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), shelter materials, debris clearing equipment, and more to additional humanitarian aid partners.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, many children and families are unsure of what the future may hold, and it’s critical they get the support they need to recover,” said Jeanne-Aimee De Marrais, senior director of U.S. emergencies for Save the Children. “In times of crisis like this, strong partnerships can make a world of difference. Save the Children is proud and grateful to work with Amazon and its Disaster Relief Hub to ensure kids and their families can quickly get essential child-focused supplies that will aid in their recovery.”
Amazon customers can support Hurricane Ida relief efforts by donating to humanitarian relief organizations. They can also use their Alexa-enabled devices by saying, “Alexa, I want to donate to Hurricane Ida relief.”
Since 2017, Amazon has donated more than 15 million in-kind products in response to over 70 natural disasters around the world. Amazon’s 2021 disaster relief and response efforts have included donating and delivering more than 2.8 million emergency items to aid on-the-ground relief efforts for a massive earthquake in Haiti; severe floods in Western Europe and in New South Wales, Australia; wildfires in Turkey and Canada; a tornado in the Czech Republic; a volcano eruption in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; monsoon season in India; and the winter storms in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. We also donated critical medical equipment to support hospitals and other COVID-19 care facilities across India, along with personal protective items to vulnerable communities in Nepal and Chile.
Amazon’s disaster relief and response efforts utilize Amazon’s vast operational excellence, innovative technologies, and global logistics network to provide fast and effective support to worldwide operations fighting large-scale natural disasters. Amazon has filled cargo jets and shipped truckloads of Amazon-donated items for communities ravaged by hurricanes, sent solar-powered lights to people living without power after tsunamis, enabled customers to easily donate products and cash on Amazon.com, and helped organizations including governments and nonprofits expedite response efforts through our Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services.
