UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced that The UPS Foundation and UPS Airlines will expand humanitarian aid and support after devastating hurricanes and an earthquake.
“Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey, together with the earthquake in Mexico, have left behind an almost unprecedented need for humanitarian aid throughout the Carribbean and southeastern U.S.,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer. “When the International Federation of the Red Cross called to request assistance to aid those in Cuba, we knew how important it was to answer that call. Likewise, we are delivering to those in need after the earthquake in Mexico, and now also assisting in Puerto Rico, as we work with our global relief partners on as many fronts as we can.”
In support of Puerto Rico, after the devastating impact from Hurricane Maria, UPS Airlines will fly two UPS Browntail air freighters to San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín Airport (SJU), delivering Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), under contract for FEMA. The first flight will leave today and the second will go this weekend.
In support of needs in Cuba, and at the request of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UPS Airlines will carry tarps, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, liquid containers and shelter tool kits. The flight is scheduled to leave Miami on Saturday, September 23, make an intermediate stop in Panama, and arrive in Cuba later that day. IFRC staff and UPS employees will unload the relief supplies. The supplies will help 12,000 Cuban families recover and rebuild their homes and communities. This is the the first planned UPS flight to Cuba in the company’s history.
In Mexico, The UPS Foundation is assessing short- and longer-term needs, and has offered in-kind transportation of relief items, including shelters, and logistics support to CENACED, a nonprofit relief organization in Mexico helping in the recovery efforts after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck south of Mexico City earlier this week. CENACED is affiliated with the UN Connecting Business Initiative, the effort to build networks to improve resilience, speed response and expedite recovery.
The UPS Foundation has worked with the American Red Cross, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), The Salvation Army, and other humanitarian aid partners to provide immediate support and assess longer-term needs as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Earlier this month, UPS announced more than a $1 million pledge, through The UPS Foundation in support of recovery efforts in Texas and Louisiana, and another $1 million commitment in support of recovery efforts in the Caribbean, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. In addition, The UPS Foundation, the American Red Cross and drone manufacturer CyPhy Works, Inc., announced a drone pilot program, to assess damage after Hurricane Harvey. This is the the first time the American Red Cross will test using a tethered drone to assess damage after a major natural disaster in the United States.
The UPS Foundation has worked with the Red Cross for decades to help the organization respond to natural disasters and assist those most in need. In addition, UPS has deployed skilled volunteers with humanitarian logistics expertise to affected areas. This month, UPS loaned executive volunteers deployed in the Caribbean, Florida, and Texas to help coordinate logistics support with partner agencies providing relief.
UPS and The UPS Foundation have a history of leveraging the company’s logistics expertise and moving quickly to assist in delivering humanitarian aid and relief efforts after natural disasters. In fact, providing humanitarian relief is an ongoing program. Last year, The UPS Foundation responded to 20 major world disasters and invested more than $13 million in funding, in-kind, and technical support for community safety initiatives that included enhancing urgent disaster response preparedness, response, and recovery.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Sep 26, 2017 12pm EDT / 9am PDT / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST