Electricity transfer technology company, Areva and its T&D division has responded to the nationwide appeal for emergency assistance for the thousands of people affected by the severe Victorian bushfires and flooding in other states which have simultaneously ravaged Australia this summer.
The group has made a donation of $30,000 to the Red Cross. This amount accompanies the personal donations from the staff of AREVA T&D and AREVA NC, over 500 of who are based across all states of Australia, says the company.
The Red Cross will primarily use these funds to provide assistance to individuals and communities in towns and suburbs affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires. An independent panel made up of community leaders will oversee the Appeal Funds operation.
“Although bushfires are a relatively common occurrence, Australia has not experienced a catastrophe of this scale in recorded history. More than 210 have lost their lives in the bushfires since the beginning of February, and another 7 people have died in Queensland due to the worst flooding in three decades. Fire has destroyed thousands of homes and large tracts of land have been scorched, while several thousand people have been displaced by the floods, the company said in an announcement to the press.
“AREVA and all of our staff express their solidarity and concern for all those affected in any way by the natural disasters. This includes our customers who have faced the challenge of restoring power following significant impacts on their electrical networks.”