LAFAYETTE, La., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diageo, the world's leading spirits, beer and wine company, donated and delivered two high-powered generators and truck loads of Diageo bottled water to Baton Rouge and Abbeville, Louisiana. The two cities were hit hard by Hurricane Gustav and declared top priority sites by Governor Bobby Jindal's office. The generators and water are part of Diageo's Spirit of the Americas Humanitarian Aid program.
A 250 kilowatts (kw) generator is providing life-sustaining power to the infirm and critical patients at Capitol Home Rehabilitation and Nursing, a nursing home in Baton Rouge. Because many of the patients have immediate medical needs and their lives are dependent on medical devices and ventilators, the Governor's office deemed this facility as a top priority in the state. Without this support, officials would have had to evacuate these critical need patients to already overcrowded hospitals. A team of Diageo representatives delivered the generator and worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help set up and connect it.
"The generator that was delivered by Diageo proved to the difference, literally, between life and death for many of our patients," said Patrick Rambin, the Nursing Home Administrator at Capitol House Rehabilitation and Nursing. "Once the generator was installed, our oxygen systems were fully functional and we were able to keep the patients on the premises while preserving their quality of life. Our staff and our patients are truly grateful for the support and the generator Diageo provided."
The 175 kw generator is operating at the Vermillion Parish Sheriff's Office Command Center and Parish Administration building in Abbeville, LA. The building is critical in restoring the area's emergency communications capabilities, and the generator is ensuring administration officials are fully functional as the back end of the storm passes through the region.
Ivan Menezes, Diageo North America's President and CEO said, "Diageo has been in constant touch with Governor Jindal's office to determine the areas with the most critical need for generators and potable water. We will continue to work closely with the Governor's office to ensure these resources are meeting the needs of the victims of Hurricane Gustav."
In addition to these generators, Diageo also facilitated the delivery of desperately needed bottled water to an emergency distribution center established by Governor Jindal's office at the Capitol Building in Baton Rouge. From there, relief workers and officials distributed the water a high priority neighborhood whose residents were stranded without clean drinking water and power. All told, crews brought more than 176,000 gallons of water to the area, all of which was warehoused and distributed by Georgia Crown Distributing. Don Leebern, President of Georgia Crown Distributing, and his team have been instrumental in getting the bottled water to this key location.
This relief effort is part of Diageo's Spirit of the Americas Humanitarian Aid program. Established in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, the
Spirit of the Americas program provides immediate relief and disaster aid around the world.
About Diageo's Spirit of the Americas Humanitarian Aid Program
In December 2001, Diageo brought the first corporate humanitarian airlift to war-torn Afghanistan by delivering more than 100,000 pounds of food and emergency supplies to 800 orphans in Kabul.
In June of 2003, the company chartered a DC-8 cargo plane and delivered more than 150,000 pounds of food, medicine and school supplies to Baghdad, becoming the first American company to embark upon a humanitarian mission into Iraq. In November of that year, Diageo provided more than 12,000 turkeys to the Connecticut Food Bank so that 72,000 disadvantaged families could celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Also in 2003, Diageo provided financial aid to the victims of the California wildfires.
In 2004 and 2005, horrific storms ripped across the Caribbean and south eastern United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without clean water, shelter or food. The Spirit of the Americas program was quick to respond, undertaking massive relief missions to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mississippi, New Orleans, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Grenada and Jamaica. The relief restored power and water to nearly 400,000 people and airlifted more than 158,000 pounds of aid to four different countries in the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes.
Diageo has been delivering important medicines, food supplements and supplies to more than 25,000 victims of the conflict in Sudan since December 2007. At that time, Diageo's Spirit of the Americas Airlift descended into Abeche, Chad with hundreds of pounds of emergency food and medical supplies on route to Gaga Refugee Camp and Guereda Hospital, which serves the local community and Kounoungo Refugee Camp.
Diageo not only funds these missions, but, just as they have since 9/11, company executives and employees also accompany the relief supplies to the crisis zone and help distribute the aid, making sure we are there every step of the way. This is what makes Diageo's humanitarian aid projects unique. Whether it's in Afghanistan, Iraq, Grenada, Haiti, Indonesia or Diageo's home state of Connecticut, the Spirit of the Americas is there.
Diageo's Spirit of America Humanitarian Aid Missions is facilitated by the Bridge Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian aid and development organization that provides humanitarian relief worldwide.
About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at http://www.diageo.com/.
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