An Update on GE Disaster Relief Efforts in Japan

GE continues to monitor and respond to events in Japan following last week’s unprecedented natural disasters, including events at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, which suffered a loss of power after a tsunami struck the site.
Immediately following the magnitude 9.0 offshore quake and tsunami, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt announced that the company will commit $5 million in cash, equipment and services toward relief efforts in Japan. Some of these donations have already been identified and put into place.

• The GE Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of GE, has committed ¥100 million (USD$1.25 million) to Japan Red Cross.
  
• The GE Foundation has committed ¥100 million (USD$1.25 million) to Miyagi Prefecture Disaster Response Fund. Miyagi Prefecture is the hardest hit area as its capital is the city of Sendai.
  
• A total of USD $0.7 million in healthcare-related product donations have been committed, including handheld ultrasounds. The units are in stock and we are working with the Japanese government’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) to deploy the units to medical teams and practitioners assisting victims of the disaster.

As of March 21, GE employees from 26 countries have pledged more than $500,000 in cash to disaster relief organizations associated with the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. With GE Foundation Matching Gifts, this overall GE employee commitment has surpassed $1 million. These donations are above and beyond the $5 million commitment announced by GE last week.
In addition to the ongoing search and rescue missions to recover survivors, the primary focus is to provide relief and assistance to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been evacuated due to the nuclear emergency, earthquake and tsunami. According to the latest update by the Red Cross, cold weather and snow are now complicating the emergency relief operation, which was already challenged by continued aftershocks, fuel shortages and inaccessible roads. Emergency teams still have not been able to reach all the affected areas due to logistical challenges.
In the coming days and weeks, the priorities will expand to reestablishing essential infrastructure and services to the impacted areas while continuing to support recovery efforts. GE will continue to work with local partners and government officials to determine how best to help in the recovery phase.
To this end, the government of Japan is working directly with GE’s leaders in the region to identify GE business capabilities that can help in the recovery and rebuilding phase and best complement Japan’s response capacity.
GE and its nuclear energy business has a 24-hour command center working on the situation that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and has been communicating with its customers and the Japanese and U.S. governments. Details can be found in our last update.
Other efforts continue across the company, such as GE Transportation’s offer to donate a GE Genset, a high-voltage generator powered by a locomotive engine, to heavy equipment maker Komatsu Ltd. to see if it can be of use in its disaster relief efforts.