Apple to support winter storm relief efforts in Texas, other US states
Apple will make contributions to local community organizations in Texas and beyond as work continues to restore order amid a brutal winter storm.
CEO Tim Cook announced the planned donation in a post to Twitter on Thursday. He failed to offer specifics, though the company typically provides between $1 million to $2 million in disaster aid, depending on the severity of the event.
"Our hearts are with everyone across Texas and around the U.S., including many of our team members, as they endure the impact of the harsh winter storms," Cook said in a tweet. "Apple will be making a financial contribution to local, community-based organizations to support their relief efforts."
Harsh cold has left at least 38 people dead nationwide, while millions of people are without water and power as unusually severe weather grips Texas, The New York Times reports. Many homes are facing frigid indoor temperatures and flooding from burst pipes, while a boil water advisory currently extends to some 13 million residents in the state.
In Texas and beyond, heavy snow and ice are disrupting car travel, grounding planes, causing stock-outs at stores, threatening medical facilities and slowing coronavirus vaccine distribution.
After descending down through Texas, the devastating storm system is now headed east.
Apple regularly provides financial relief to organizations dealing with catastrophes and natural disasters. In 2018 the company donated $1 million to victims of the Kerala floods in India, relief efforts following the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, and Red Cross activity after the California wild fires and Hurricane Florence. Contributions in 2019 included millions in aid for the California wild fires and Australian brush fires, while 2020 saw the tech giant donate to various coronavirus-related efforts, a project that involved the distribution of millions of masks to healthcare workers.
CEO Tim Cook announced the planned donation in a post to Twitter on Thursday. He failed to offer specifics, though the company typically provides between $1 million to $2 million in disaster aid, depending on the severity of the event.
"Our hearts are with everyone across Texas and around the U.S., including many of our team members, as they endure the impact of the harsh winter storms," Cook said in a tweet. "Apple will be making a financial contribution to local, community-based organizations to support their relief efforts."
Harsh cold has left at least 38 people dead nationwide, while millions of people are without water and power as unusually severe weather grips Texas, The New York Times reports. Many homes are facing frigid indoor temperatures and flooding from burst pipes, while a boil water advisory currently extends to some 13 million residents in the state.
In Texas and beyond, heavy snow and ice are disrupting car travel, grounding planes, causing stock-outs at stores, threatening medical facilities and slowing coronavirus vaccine distribution.
After descending down through Texas, the devastating storm system is now headed east.
Apple regularly provides financial relief to organizations dealing with catastrophes and natural disasters. In 2018 the company donated $1 million to victims of the Kerala floods in India, relief efforts following the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, and Red Cross activity after the California wild fires and Hurricane Florence. Contributions in 2019 included millions in aid for the California wild fires and Australian brush fires, while 2020 saw the tech giant donate to various coronavirus-related efforts, a project that involved the distribution of millions of masks to healthcare workers.
Comments
Ironically, the Biden administration is sending additional food, water, blankets, supplies to Texas. One has to wonder if the Texas state government will stop it at the border, allow it to come in, or otherwise not use it so as to no appear to accept federal aid. Plus the federal government is now going to look into Texas' electrical grid and again recommend ways to harden the grid against bad weather. Oh, and one more thing. With all the snow and ice on the ground. and warmer weather on its way, what about potential flooding in flood prone areas like Houston as the snow melts?
Ahh! The old "Everybody does it" argument!
The Texas city of El Paso actually did heed the warnings of the failure to winterize their equipment in the decade since Texas suffered a similar series of extreme (for TX) cold related power failures ten years ago and only experienced a tiny number of power losses over a brief time period this time around. More short term thinking at play here. It’s sad that the people of Texas had to suffer due to the ineptness of their leaders, but unfortunately that’s the way things go.
Apple’s charity, along with similar efforts by other organizations and individuals, to help people in-need is certainly to be commended.
Since Texas benefited for decades from escaping regulation and associated infrastructure spending, should they be granted the billions of dollars they are requesting the rest of us to send to them to restore their communities? Total damages right now are estimated at $18B and climbing.
I completely agree with your statement "When a person or group makes a stupid mistake that hurts society and they do nothing to correct it (or feel remorse) they need to be identified and held accountable." Doing the right thing should not exclusive to any organization or political party. If ERCOT had not been so grossly derelict and incompetent in their responsibilities, maybe putting substance behind the "R" in their name, nobody would be ragging on them. They totally dropped the ball. Allowing ERCOT to be exempt from prosecution and penalties for the damages that they caused would be an exercise in pure politics.
I have no problem with the federal government loaning money (at a non trivial interest rate) to allow ERCOT to restore their systems to full operation and prevent future disruptions. But I'd fully expect that they'd be required to pay back every penny of the loan with interest. Yeah, I'm assuming they'd pass the cost along to their customers, directly or indirectly, but if everyone in their system has been getting a discount up to this point by gambling against exactly the kind of disaster that occurred. People suffered and people died. It's no different that a plane crash due to faulty maintenance of the aircraft involved. ERCOT put its customers in a hazardous situation due to poor planning, incompetent preparation for known risks, and a total lack of a backup/contingency plan.
Good Points!
But, what was it that created the rather shaky foundation that ERCOT built its house on? This exerpt from Reuters gives a hint:
-- A completely inter connected smart power grid so an area with excess power can supply it where it is needed, when it is needed