Helping hands supporting hurricane relief
A complete rebuild of a house and a roof as well as landscaping - recently, 28 Henkel employees travelled to Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, to support recovery efforts following last year's hurricanes. This trip was another step in the company's ongoing engagement for local employees and the community.
A group of Henkel employees rebuilt a house of a local resident - from the first constructions…
…to the whole exterior, which was finished later by local building contractors.
Hurricane Maria brought major devastation to Puerto Rico and other islands in September 2017. Months later, the country is still recovering, and for many people in the Sabana Grande town - where Henkel's Adhesive Technologies business unit operates a manufacturing site - the situation is still difficult today. To assist with rehabilitation efforts following hurricane Maria, a group of colleagues from North America's Adhesive Technologies leadership teams helped to rehabilitate homes in the local community. The community outreach project was supported by Henkel's corporate volunteering "Make an Impact on Tomorrow" initiative (MIT). "This trip emphasizes the priority we place on the well-being of our employees in Sabana Grande," said Simon Mawson, Head of the General Adhesives business area in North America. "We are glad to have had the opportunity to help the community rebuild and recover."
Another group reconstructed a partially destroyed roof of a house occupied by a local Henkel employee and her family.
During the one-week trip to Puerto Rico, the team demonstrated outstanding commitment when working on three projects. Supported by professional contractors, the exterior of a house that was destroyed during the heavy storm last year was rebuild within three days. The fully furnished house, also provided by Henkel, will be finished in the upcoming weeks. For their second project, the team reconstructed a partially destroyed roof of a house occupied by a local Henkel employee and her family. Finally, several colleagues helped with landscaping at the Sabana Grande medical facility, which also serves as a community center. Besides general clean-up, the team planted several donated palm trees and laid stonework to brighten up the area. "It was great to have our colleagues from North America come to Sabana Grande and see their engagement to support not only our employees, but also the community. This was also appreciated by our local mayor who visited the community outreach projects and expressed his gratitude," said Rosa Davila-Santiago, Director Plant Operations at Henkel's Sabana Grande site.
Emergency aid after devastating hurricane Maria in 2017: Henkel provided employees with containers of water and fuel which were in short supply.
Following several tropical storms which hit the US mainland as well as Caribbean islands in August and September 2017, Henkel provided emergency aid in the provinces and cities in which Henkel employees or their families were affected, and helped restore their homes and provide them with everyday needs such as food, clothing and medicine. At various Henkel locations, employees organized donations of products and raised money. These donations were matched by the "Fritz Henkel Stiftung" foundation.
