The KION Group is supporting relief workers in their efforts to cope with the heavy storm damage in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bavaria, with a €1 million emergency aid donation to the German Red Cross. The national relief organisation has been actively assisting in the rescue, care, and shelter of those in need in the areas.
“The images of flooding and destruction are shocking, and the people living in those areas have been hit hard,” commented Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG. “Many have lost everything they own, and some are also mourning the death of friends and relatives. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those affected. We would like to thank the professional and volunteer relief workers on the ground who are giving their all to mitigate the impact of this tragic natural disaster.”
Currently, more than 3,500 German Red Cross helpers are in around-the-clock operation in the flood-hit areas.
The financial support that the KION Group is providing to the German Red Cross is distributed to the respective regional and local organizations by the national headquarters in Berlin. This ensures that emergency aid is sent where it is needed most urgently.
In addition to emergency financial aid, the Frankfurt-based intralogistics company is also making equipment and personnel available. “We are offering paid leave to all employees who are volunteers with an aid organisation, such as the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, the German Life Saving Association, and the German Red Cross, and providing active support on the ground to those in need in the flood-hit areas,” added Anke Groth, Labour Relations Director and CFO of KION GROUP AG. “We have also agreed to grant the German Red Cross free access to our forklift trucks to make it easier to manage the logistical challenges.” The equipment will help to ensure that people in the affected areas have access to what they need.
“We are immensely grateful to the KION Group for its support and this generous donation,” says Christian Reuter, secretary general and chief executive officer of the German Red Cross. “Many people in the disaster-hit areas are desperate as they have lost almost everything, so it’s important that we can provide assistance quickly.”
