Wacker Chemie : Staff and WACKER Donate almost €60,000 to Flood Relief

In the middle of July, catastrophic floods destroyed whole towns and villages in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. 181 people died, countless others lost their homes and there was large-scale damage to infrastructure.

WACKER supported "Aktion Deutschland Hilft" flood relief aid association with €100,000 via its WACKER Relief Fund and appealed to its employees to donate. "We would like to thank you very much for your donations. We have managed to raise around €29,000. Together we can help. That is why WACKER is doubling the amount the employees donated to more than €58,000," said Angela Wörl, member of the Executive Board and Personnel Director.

Harald Klein, chairman of the Group Employee Council, added, "Our colleagues have shown their continued solidarity when people face an emergency through no fault of their own. The flood relief aid organization and the WACKER Relief Fund have taken the same approach: to help those affected both quickly and unbureaucratically. Thank you for placing your trust in us and for your donation."

"The amount donated shows great compassion for those affected by the floods. We would like to thank employees and Wacker Chemie AG," said Mirko Kappelhoff (chairman of the Board of Directors).

Local help provided by the action alliance

Enabling people to make a fresh start - that is what is needed now. For example, the action alliance is setting up makeshift kindergartens and neighborhood meeting points, and is helping to rebuild welfare facilities. Aid organizations are operating mobile launderettes and supporting doctors' surgeries and pharmacies that were destroyed so that medical care can resume. Local crisis teams are coordinating all the measures.

Individuals also continue to receive support. Dehumidifiers are running non-stop as apartments will only be warm in winter if they are dry. The action alliance is also providing assistance with filing claims with authorities or insurance companies and offering psychosocial counseling.

Its members are so-called "blue-light organizations," such as Johanniter-Unfallhilfe, Malteser Hilfsdienst, the Workers' Welfare Organization (Arbeiterwohlfahrt) and many others.