Amazon launches its first Disaster Relief Hub in Europe
Melanie May | 13 March 2024 | News
The new hub is located in Amazon’s Fulfillment Center in Rheinberg, Germany, and will hold 1,000 pallets of relief items, which will be sent to nonprofits and community partners through its global logistics network.
Amazon already has Disaster Relief Hubs in the US, Asia, and Australia and has responded to more than 145 natural disasters and humanitarian crises since 2017, donating more than 24 million relief items. In the last 18 months, this has included wildfires in Chile, Colombia, Australia and Hawaii, earthquakes in Japan, Türkiye, Syria, and Morocco, and hurricanes and cyclones in Puerto Rico, Florida, and India.
The items stored include sheltering supplies (such as tents, blankets, cots, mats, sleeping bags), hygiene kits (such as soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste), and cleaning items (such as working gloves or cleaning supplies).
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Amazon’s analysis shows that more than 80% of needed items are the same following each major natural disaster. The most frequently requested products include nappies, tarpaulins, cots, blankets, heaters, tents and cleaning supplies. Customers can donate items through Amazon’s sites.
Bettina Stix, Head of Amazon Disaster Relief, said:
“Today, natural disasters happen more often and are increasingly more severe – and we’re mobilising our global inventory, logistics infrastructure, and technology to support the communities impacted by these emergencies.
“We’ve partnered with local and international relief organisations to understand their needs and we’ve looked at our data to identify the most-demanded products in the aftermath of natural disasters. With the opening of this new Hub in Germany, our response to disasters across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa will be even faster and more efficient.”
Amazon works year-round with national and international relief organisations, including the Red Cross, Save the Children, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and through the hub can send help in less than 72 hours.
Gabriella Waaijman, Save the Children’s Global Humanitarian Director, said:
“For seven years, Amazon and Save the Children have been supporting children and their families facing disasters worldwide.
“The new Disaster Relief Hub is a monumental next step in Amazon’s commitment to this work. It harnesses Save the Children’s decades of humanitarian expertise and Amazon’s supply chain to ensure that in the aftermath of a natural disaster or emergency, essential items such as hygiene kits and learning materials reach the people who need them the most as quickly as possible.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.