Relief Efforts

Oct. 1, 2003
Several companies and associations in the electrical industry have pledged financial support or set up relief programs to assist in recovery efforts,

Several companies and associations in the electrical industry have pledged financial support or set up relief programs to assist in recovery efforts, as well as provide for the families of victims.

  • GE, Plainville, Conn., pledged $10 million to a fund that will assist the families of the firefighters, police officers and emergency rescue personnel who perished while responding to the attack on the World Trade Center.

  • The parent company of Siemens Energy and Automation, Alpharetta, Ga., donated $2 million to support emergency assistance agencies in New York and Washington. This donation was made through the “Siemens Caring Hands Foundation.”

    In addition, Siemens employees around the world were invited to make personal contributions to the relief effort through the Siemens Caring Hands Foundation. Siemens will match, dollar-for-dollar, every contribution made by its employees worldwide. The money from the Siemens Caring Hands Foundation will be given to “The September 11th Fund,” a nonprofit organization set up to ensure that financial resources are deployed effectively to emergency assistance and health and human services agencies in New York and Washington. This organization is jointly administered by The United Way and The New York Community Trust.

  • Fluke Networks Inc., Everett, Wash., part of the Danaher family of companies, initiated an Emergency Relief Program aimed at helping restore communications service to companies and organizations affected by the terrorist attacks.

    “Network communications, whether it is e-mail or some other form of data communications, is the backbone of any organization,” said Chris Odell, president of Fluke Networks. “We of course realize that many organizations have suffered substantial network service disruption owing to the tragic events…To assist in reestablishing damaged network infrastructure, Fluke Networks will provide loaner equipment, technical expertise, expedited delivery and on-site assistance until service is restored to those affected networks.”

  • At press time, W.W. Grainger, Chicago, was in the process of donating $1 million in cash and emergency supplies to aid rescue and recovery teams in New York. Through this donation, the company provides an assortment of products, including hard hats, steel-toed boots, respirator masks, safety glasses and gloves.

    In addition to this donation, Grainger Branch 551, located on Varick Street (just two miles from Ground Zero) will remain open 24 hours a day indefinitely to provide emergency supplies to response teams. The company shipped more than 50 trailers of products to the affected areas in both New York and Washington to meet the demands created by the sustained recovery efforts.

  • ABB Inc., Norwalk, Conn., the U.S. arm of global technology company ABB, has contributed more than $1 million to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

    U.S. employees raised more than $300,000 in personal contributions in less than a week following the terrorist attacks. ABB matched their contributions two for one, and added $100,000 more of corporate funds.

  • Graybar Electric Co. Inc., St. Louis, is donating money to several agencies: The American Red Cross Relief Fund, The Sept. 11th Fund, The Salvation Army's Pentagon Disaster Fund and The Widows' and Children's Funds of both the New York Police and Fire Departments.

  • Business technology provider Prophet 21, Yardley, Pa., made a $5,000 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

  • The employee owners of Omni Cable, West Chester, Pa., decided to commit 1 percent of sales from Sept. 24 through Oct. 5 to the Red Cross.

  • At press time, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md., had raised $157,000 in its support of disaster relief efforts in New York City.

    NECA also collected and sent truckloads of supplies to the command center set up by the NECA New York City Chapter to coordinate collection and distribution of goods, monetary donations and manpower to the rescue and clean-up efforts.

  • Colonial Electric Supply, King of Prussia, Pa., has committed to a yearlong plan for assisting the Red Cross relief efforts for victims of the Sept. 11 disasters.

    Colonial made an immediate response to the disaster with a shipment of electrical supplies delivered directly to Ground Zero the day after the disaster. “The $5,000 worth of material seemed like a drop in the bucket,” said Peter Bellwoar, Colonial's vice president of marketing. “So we challenged ourselves to come up with more.”

    Colonial will donate 1 percent of its October “through-stock” sales to the American Red Cross relief efforts. Colonial will also match all employee Red Cross donations 100 percent made from October through December 2001.

  • As one of the members of the St. Louis-based National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) closest to the recovery efforts in Manhattan, David Weinstein, general manager of Kennedy Electric Supply Corp., Jamaica, N.Y., worked with NAED to relay the needs of rescue workers in New York.

After the attack, he requested an immediate response to an urgent call for supplies. At the end of September, Weinstein had just received a second flatbed of donations from 30 different companies. The donations included respirators, extension cords and power cords.