ATLANTA — Amazon has reached a new milestone in Atlanta after launching its first Disaster Relief Hub in the nation for the area.
The news comes ahead of the 2021 hurricane season. So far, Amazon has donated and pre-positioned over 500,000 emergency supplies to help relief organizations respond to natural disasters in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Central America.
So why Atlanta? The city is located 310 miles from the Gulf Coast, 734 miles from the Bahamas, and within 1,535 miles of Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands—areas that experience the most active hurricane season, according to Amazon.
On Tuesday, Amazon officially kicked off the hub and announced a partnership with the American Red Cross.
The Disaster Relief Hub will initially support six global humanitarian aid organization including Direct Relief, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Medical Corps, Save the Children, and World Central Kitchen.
“When a large natural disaster happens, companies like Amazon play an important role in how the American Red Cross responds to help communities and families in immediate need,” Trevor Riggen, senior vice president of Disaster Cycle Services at the American Red Cross said in a statement. “Amazon’s commitment to disaster relief and preparedness aligns with our mission to help disaster survivors. In order to fulfill this mission, we must have stocked warehouses, trained volunteers, and state-of-the-art systems in place. Amazon’s donation of critical relief supplies and advance pre-positioning efforts allows the Red Cross to stand ready to help at a moment’s notice. We’re honored to count Amazon as one of our most valued partners and are grateful for their continued support to fulfill our mission.”
Since 2017, Amazon’s disaster relief and response efforts have reportedly provided over 13 million items and tens of millions of dollars to support community partners worldwide during 59 natural disasters.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Amazon donated more than 1 million emergency aid items to communities in the U.S. and abroad hit by hurricanes and wildfires, including water, generators, air filters, food, KN95 masks, and cleaning supplies.