Anheuser-Busch Provides Emergency Drinking Water

According to a recent company announcement, Anheuser-Busch provided 2,156 cases of emergency drinking water – or 51,744 cans – to the American Red Cross for their use in flood relief efforts in Colorado.

The American Red Cross was among the first relief organizations allowed into Lyons, Colorado after flood waters sent residents scurrying for safety. Upon arriving in town, the Red Cross set up an Emergency Assistance Center where people could meet with nurses, counselors, and caseworkers. They could also pick up cleaning items, rakes, shovels, tarps, water, buckets and gloves to use as they began to work on their water-damaged homes.

Within a few hours, more than 100 people had picked up their supplies from the Red Cross vehicle parked in the center of town. They told stories of fortune and misfortune, often pausing to hug each other and shed some tears. An Anheuser-Busch truck loaded with emergency drinking water from Cartersville, Georgia, arrived on Sept 19th at the American Red Cross facility in Westminster, Colorado. The American Red Cross will then get the water where it’s most needed.

“Relief workers and people in the community are in need of drinking water as they work to recover from the flooding, and this is one way Anheuser-Busch can help our friends and neighbors,” said Peter Kraemer, vice president of Supply and head brewmaster for Anheuser-Busch. 

 According to their website, more than 830 Red Cross workers have been helping people in Colorado, providing food, shelter, relief supplies and emotional support. The Red Cross has provided a total of 3,800 shelter stays for people forced from their homes by the flooding.The Red Cross has served more than 87,000 meals and snacks working in conjunction with The Salvation Army, has handed out more than 111,000 relief items and provided more than 8,200 health and mental health services.

 As residents start to go back home, the Red Cross is distributing relief items at Disaster Assistance Centers, Red Cross Emergency Aid Stations and aboard the 24 Red Cross emergency response vehicles traveling through the region. Red Cross workers are also providing individual recovery support, and health and mental health services.

Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 72 million cans of emergency drinking water following natural and other disasters. Helping communities cope with disasters has been an Anheuser-Busch tradition since 1906 when Adolphus Busch made a donation to the American Red Cross for victims of the San Francisco earthquake. Today, in addition to providing monetary support, Anheuser-Busch packages emergency drinking water and works with the American Red Cross and other emergency relief organizations for distribution to those in need.