September 12, 2023
AWS helps with humanitarian mapping
TheAmazon Web Services (AWS) Disaster Response team is helping to create a map of the impacted region in Morocco to assist in post-earthquake rescue efforts with Development Seed, an organization focused on using geospatial tools to make a positive impact on communities globally. The AWS Disaster Response team is funding professional mappers that will dedicate their time and expertise to mapping the earthquake-affected areas in Morocco on OpenStreetMap (OSM), and engaging Amazon employee volunteers to assist.
September 11, 2023
What Amazon is doing to help people impacted by the Morocco earthquake
Amazon is responding to the destructive earthquake in Morocco that killed thousands and left even more injured or without shelter, according to local officials. The September 8 earthquake happened late at night and was centered in the Atlas Mountains, North Africa, outside of Marrakech, Morocco. Amazon has a small number of employees in Morocco, all of whom are safe and accounted for.
Within hours of the earthquake, the Amazon Disaster Relief team started coordinating with international and local aid groups to identify relief needs for survivors. As relief workers on the ground are able to make these determinations, we will activate our global, regional, and local logistics and product donation networks to get support where it is most needed. We are already responding to a request from the High Atlas Foundation, a nonprofit in Morocco, to donate 4,000 emergency lights.
In addition to meeting ongoing product needs, Amazon also announced cash donations to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM); Banque Alimentaire, Morocco, food bank, which regularly supplies 200 organizations across Morocco; and the High Atlas Foundation.
Amazon has also activated an employee-giving campaign to allow Amazon employees from across the world to donate to relief efforts and is implementing the ability for many customers to donate directly to relief organizations through country-specific Amazon home pages in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.