Fedex commits more than $1M to relief efforts in Turkey, Syria
Fedex Corp. has committed more than $1 million of in-kind shipping to help those significantly impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria.
Fedex said in a news release the company chartered a Fedex MD-11 overnight with dedicated relief from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Istanbul, Turkey. It’s the fifth consecutive flight that took place from Feb. 17-21 delivering approximately 230 metric tons of relief supplies including tents, blankets, baby items, household supplies and hygiene kits from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“Fedex is committed to helping the many communities impacted by the earthquakes during this incredibly difficult time,” Fedex President and CEO Raj Subramaniam said in a statement. “We are inspired by the heroic work of first responders and humanitarian organizations and grateful to use our global network to donate flights, logistics support, and aid to advance recovery, rebuilding, and relief in the region.”
A second earthquake with a 6.4 magnitude struck the area Monday evening. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the area Feb. 6 has killed nearly 46,000 people in the two countries and left hundreds of thousands of others homeless.
The Memphis-based logistics giant also mentioned other instances the company has assisted nonprofits and governments in response to the earthquakes.
h Fedex donated $100,000 on Feb. 8 to the Red Cross to aid recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria. The donation will provide support and aid, such as distributing
essentials including first aid, food, water and blankets, setting up temporary shelters and providing psychological support and medical aid.
h During the week of Feb. 13, Fedex provided shipping support for Canadian disaster-relief organization Globalmedic, including the delivery of Aquaresponse3 Water Purification Units to feeding centers in the impacted area of Turkey.
h Fedex also worked with U.S. based World Central Kitchen to ship aid from Madrid, Spain, and Capitol Heights, Maryland, to Adana, Turkey. The flights included a deployable kitchen unit, kitchen supplies, and operations kits.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Omer Yusuf covers the Ford project in Haywood County, residential real estate, tourism and banking for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached via email Omer.yusuf@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @Omerayusuf.