UPS is providing logistics support and funding to help relief organizations bringing life-saving supplies and services to areas in Australia, Puerto Rico and the Philippines impacted by wildfires, earthquakes and a volcano eruption.
The UPS Foundation, which leads the company’s global citizenship programs, said it is mobilizing a global relief network and contributing an initial $500,000 in funding and logistics support for relief activities in the three countries.
“Our hearts go out to all the lives being impacted by these terrible disasters,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and UPS chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The scale of devastation is stunning, and each situation is complex in its own way. We’re grateful to be able to engage our relief partner organizations working to bring relief to these areas, and we’re committed to continuing our efforts as recovery begins.”
In Australia, UPS is providing support through both the American Red Cross and the Australian Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and the World Wildlife Fund to help meet essential needs. Devastating fires have burnt more than 18 million acres of land, causing more than 25 deaths, destroying more than 2,000 homes, impacting an estimated one billion animals and seriously damaging ecosystems.
In Puerto Rico, earthquakes are continuing, leaving two-thirds of the island without power and approximately a quarter of a million residents without water in their homes. The island is still recovering from the 2017 impact of Hurricane Maria, and the continued earthquakes are having a physical and emotional impact on families. UPS support is being channeled through The Salvation Army, UNICEF, Good360, and SBP, with funding and in-kind logistics helping to bring urgently needed materials to those in need.
In the Philippines, the eruption of the Taal Volcano just outside the capital city of Manila created a blanket of smoke and heavy ash, impacting 500,000 people, destroying homes and leaving much of the region in ruins. Scientists are carefully monitoring the area for the possibility of further eruptions, and relief efforts are being staged as we continue to track this dynamic situation. As part of this effort, UPS is helping to bring urgently needed relief items, such as masks, into the impacted area where air quality is affected.
