Helping Out Where We Are Needed
Natural disasters can happen with little to no warning. Being able to respond instantaneously to catastrophes like these and help people in need is an excellent example of how Linde MH engages with society. With solidarity and compassion, we lent a helping hand following disastrous flooding in the Ahr Valley in Germany, a volcanic eruption on La Palma, and a tornado in the Czech Republic.
The Ahr Valley: Flood Relief in Western Germany
In July 2021, heavy rains saw water rise to an alarming level in the Ahr Valley and in North Rhine-Westphalia. In almost no time at all, floodwater swept away houses and destroyed entire towns. Many people in the region and in neighboring Belgium lost their homes overnight and were faced with mountains of rubble. Linde MH responded quickly to the catastrophe by donating one million euros to the German Red Cross so that relief workers had the funds they needed to tackle the disaster.
Linde MH also provided direct assistance by working with its network partners to send several trucks to the affected areas to support the clean-up work. For example, forklift trucks were deployed to help load and unload goods, warehouse trucks were used to supply the many make-shift kitchens, and other industrial trucks were used in warehouses to ensure that deliveries to the disaster zone could be made as quickly as possible.
But that’s only part of the story, as Linde MH employees also got stuck in and helped out wherever they could. They also had the opportunity to easily convert their overtime into donations, raising more than EUR 284,000 for the German Red Cross in the process.
La Palma: Volcanic Eruption on the Canary Islands
In September 2021, the Cumbre Vieja volcano spewed out rivers of lava on the Canary Island of La Palma. The eruption lasted almost 90 days, making it the longest on the island since records began. Thousands of people had to be evacuated from the disaster zone, but Linde MH was on hand to help, providing a forklift truck to assist with the clean-up operation and transportation of heavy materials. Linde MH has ties to the Canary Islands partly through its network partner Gopar Carretillas, which is based there. Linde MH is no stranger to offering assistance at short notice and often provides industrial trucks and forklifts to lend immediate support during disasters. This allows Linde MH to directly support logistics processes and help local people quickly and easily following serious incidents.
Czech Republic: Help in Turbulent Times
In summer 2021, a tornado hit the Czech Republic, ravaging the region of Moravia in the southeast of the country. Homes were destroyed in many towns, hundreds of people were injured, and power lines were torn down in the tornado’s wake. Linde MH employees were also directly affected, with nine families of colleagues at the Velké Bílovice site losing their homes. The local branch of Linde MH supported them directly by providing EUR 5,000 to each of them and organizing a fundraising campaign. Employees in other countries were also informed about what had happened to their Czech colleagues. They immediately wanted to help and donated a total of EUR 10,000 to assist with the relief efforts in the Czech Republic.
Turkey and Syria: Earthquake Relief – Working Hours Donated to Help Those in Need
In early 2023, millions of people were affected by a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which was declared the disaster of the century. Tens of thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. To help those affected, Linde MH employees were given the chance to convert some of their working hours into donations to the German Red Cross (DRK). The HR department converted the hours into money and donated it. The DRK helped to rescue buried people and provided supplies and accommodation to earthquake victims. Colleagues from around the world took part in the earthquake relief campaign, raising more than EUR 250,000.