Amazon has opened their first Disaster Relief Hub in Europe. They will fill the hub with 1,000 pallets of relief items, enough to fill a Boeing 737 plane 20 times, and will use their global logistics network to send critical products to nonprofits and community partners in the wake of natural disasters. The Disaster Relief Hub is a dedicated space within their global logistics network where Amazon can store and quickly pack items that are most needed following damaging storms, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and other emergencies. It is located in our fulfilment center in Rheinberg, Germany, an area with easy access to major international airports and transport networks.

“Today, natural disasters happen more often and are increasingly more severe—and we’re mobilizing our global inventory, logistics infrastructure, and technology to support the communities impacted by these emergencies. We’re committed to use our scale and passion for invention for good,” said Bettina Stix, head of Amazon Disaster Relief. “We’ve partnered with local and international relief organizations to understand their needs and we’ve looked at our data to identify the most-demanded products in the aftermath of natural disasters. With the opening of this new Hub in Germany, our response to disasters across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa will be even faster and more efficient.”

The more than 21,000 square foot Hub area will be ready to respond to Europe’s most common natural disasters, including floods and forest fires. The items stored include sheltering supplies (such as tents, blankets, cots, mats, sleeping bags), hygiene kits (such as soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste), and cleaning items (such as working gloves or cleaning supplies). They have analyzed the data that shows the kind of products requested after each natural disaster since 2017, and found that more than 80% of the needed items are the same following each major natural disaster. These include diapers, tarps, cots, blankets, heaters, tents, and cleaning supplies.