When disasters strike, our first priority is our people, and then our assets and customers. This prioritization ensures our people are safe and taken care of, which in turn, positions us to best support our customers and communities. In addition, our Business Continuity Team remains ready to respond if needed.
The recent severe storms throughout the Midwest have caused critical damage in much of Iowa – and significantly impacted many of our employees and their families, specifically in BU 327 Quad Cities and BU 328 Cedar Rapids. Nine employees’ homes are severely damaged and without power, two employees have completely lost their homes, and almost everyone in the area – including Republic’s offices, hauling and recycling facilities, and landfill divisions – are getting power from generators provided by the Company.
From providing gift cards and cash to employees to cover the cost of meals and gas, to offering shelter, food, water and ice, care packages, lanterns and other necessities, our teams are responding in a big way to help fellow colleagues. Many of our neighboring Chicago team members purchased food and supplies from the local Costco, rented a delivery truck and drove to Cedar Rapids to personally make the delivery and pitch in to help where needed.
Here is just some of the feedback from our employees in Iowa:
Our employees are not only helping each other, they are also helping the local communities. The very nature of what we do uniquely positions us to readily support response and recovery efforts when disasters strike. This includes clearing debris and trash for critical customers like hospitals and grocery stores.
We are thankful that all of our affected employees in Iowa and their families remain safe, and we are grateful for those who stepped up to help. Thank you for being Committed to Serve each other and our customers! We truly appreciate you!
For more information on severe weather safety, visit the Business Continuity SharePoint site.
Republic Services’ Employee Relief Fund
When an unexpected disaster strikes, many of us want to help impacted colleagues and their families. Through Republic’s Employee Relief Fund employees can help each other in times of need. The Employee Relief Fund is a non-profit charitable organization with the mission to support our employees in times of crisis. Employees can apply for support from the Fund and receive help with finding permanent housing, making emergency repairs to their homes, or paying for food, clothing and transportation expenses.
Want to help? Click here to donate directly to the Fund. You can make a one-time or recurring contribution through payroll deduction, and increase, add or change your contribution at any time.
Through the Republic Services Employee Relief Fund, help starts with us.