GE Foundation

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami —
March 2011

A record 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit near the Japanese city of Sendai, followed by a powerful 32-foot tsunami which struck northern Japan, leaving more than 10,000 people dead, over 17,000 missing, and nearly 250,000 homeless. Immediately following the disaster, the GE Foundation pledged $5 million in cash, equipment and services toward relief in the coming weeks and months. This included a total of over USD $1 million in product donations, eg., V-scan handheld ultrasounds, larger ultrasound units, boroscope cameras that can help peer inside collapsed buildings, and a range of urgently needed supplies such as anesthesia consumables to avert stock-out situations in Miyagi prefecture hospitals.

During GE Chairman and President Jeff Immelt's visit to Japan afterwards, the GE Foundation pledged an additional $5 million for the long-term relief and recovery within the affected area, including medical and energy equipment and continued support to relief agencies. Additionally, GE employees from 41 countries pledged more than $1 million in cash to disaster relief organizations associated with the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. With the GE Foundation Matching Gifts, the total surpassed $2 million.

Pakistan Flood —
July 2010

In July, extensive flash flooding caused by severe monsoon season rains brought devastation to Pakistan. The monsoon rains produced the worst flooding in the region in over 80 years. The flooding killed more than a thousand people and forced surviving villagers to flee what was left of their homes. As a result, 20 million lives and over 62,000 square miles have been affected. In response, the GE Foundation awarded $1.25 million in total to relief organizations. $250,000 was given to the International Rescue Committee and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in support of immediate relief efforts. The additional $1 million was awarded to the World Food Programme to provide much needed food relief amidst looming concerns over food shortages in the region.

Chile Earthquake —
February 2010

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile in February 2010, killing over 750 people and impacting more than 2,000,000; the quake triggered tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin. Over 180 employees across multiple GE businesses are located in the country, and efforts to secure the safety of these employees, their families and company structures were successful. In response, to the natural disasters, GE announced a $2 million commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. As part of this commitment, $1.25 million went directly to support the emergency response needs in Chile; the remainder was contributed to the American Red Cross Disaster Response Fund, which provides assistance in the critical first hours and days before and after a disaster strikes.

Haiti Earthquake —
January 2010

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit Haiti in January 2010, killing over 150,000 people and leaving an estimated 1.5 million people homeless. The GE family provided over $5.5 million to relief efforts, including financial commitments from GE Foundation of $1 million to Red Cross, $500,000 to UNICEF, employee donations of $1.4 million (with a $1.4 million match from GE Foundation), and over $1 million in equipment donations of solar-powered water purification units, anesthesia/ventilators, portable ultrasounds, monitors, and analog and mobile digital X-rays.

See the immediate impact of GE Sunspring water purification units in Haiti
Learn more in this GEreports story: Sipping on Sun-water at SOS Children’s Village

Italy Earthquake —
April 2009

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 hit central Italy in April 2009, injuring 1,500 people, leaving more than 90 dead and tens of thousands homeless. The GE family provided approximately $600,000 to relief in affected areas. In addition, GE donated 10 compact ultrasound systems and three mobile movie theatres for use by local residents.

Floods in the Midwestern United States —
June 2008

When devastating flooding affected seven Midwestern states and forced 30,000 people from their homes, the GE family stepped in to help in the relief effort. GE Foundation gave the American Red Cross a $250,000 grant to help support its response. In addition, GE Volunteers participated in rescue operations, created a recovery plan, built a database of flood-damaged homes and helped with the clean-up effort.

Earthquake in Sichuan, China —
May 2008

After the magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit the Sichuan province of China, GE Foundation granted $1.45 million to the Red Cross Society of China and also provided a grant to Mercy Corps to help fund two programs for children and youth. In addition, the GE company donated more than $2 million of products from GE Healthcare, GE Consumer & Industrial, and GE Water & Process Technologies to address the needs created in the region.

The Darfur Region of the Sudan —
Late 2006 to Today

To help with the humanitarian aid effort, GE and GE Foundation have given more than $5.3 million in grants and donations since 2006. GE Foundation granted the International Medical Corps $700,000, and GE donated $500,000 in medical equipment. In addition, GE Foundation has given grants to UNICEF, International Rescue Committee and CARE for their relief efforts in Darfur.

Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans —
August 2005

The GE family donated a total of more than $22 million to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, including more than $3.5 million donated by employees to the American Red Cross, with an additional $3.5 million in GE Foundation matching gifts. GE donated more than $10 million in medical devices, power generation equipment, water purification and other services.