Kimberly-Clark’s Beech Island Team Responds to Disaster Need
With little warning, Kimberly-Clark employees responded with locally made products from its Beech Island mill to assist over two-thousand evacuees from Hurricane Matthew.
Imagine watching the news coverage and knowing that a huge hurricane is barreling down on the Caribbean, and is headed toward the Southeastern United States. The states of Georgia and South Carolina called for the evacuation of over 1.5 million people from the coastal areas. Evacuees would have to leave their homes and travel 100 miles away, only to live in a school gym for a few days or possibly longer.
Instinct is to grab priceless treasures, pictures, mementos and family heirlooms, and leave immediately. Most people, however, don’t take the other essentials we sometimes take for granted – paper towels, toilet paper, or diapers. Once you arrive at the shelter, you realize that there are certain basic items you need to just get by. Additionally, the host city is working as fast as it can to accommodate a large influx of people.
Fortunately for the evacuees to Augusta, the Beech Island mill is just across the river and ready to help out. On the afternoon of September 30, Augusta’s mayor, Hardee Davis, contacted Kimberly-Clark to request a product donation for at least seven temporary shelters. These shelters were to house around 2,500 evacuees from the City of Savannah.
The Beech Island team rallied to prep a variety of products from its inventory, including diapers, pants, toilet paper, facial tissue and towels, and was ready to get the product loaded when city workers showed up with trucks a few hours later.
“I am glad that we were able to respond quickly to Mayor Davis’ call for assistance,” said John Pownall, Mill Manager, Kimberly-Clark Beech Island. “Our Kimberly-Clark employees were proud to step up and support their community during a time of need.”
