Photo: FLLewis/Media City G — Disney Studios in Burbank
Disney makes a big commitment to help typhoon victims in the Philippines, while new figures are out today on the human toll of that disaster. The government in the Philippines has upped the death toll from 4-to-6,000 and the number of missing to nearly 1,800. Typhoon Haiyan, considered one of the most powerful storms to ever make land, flattened or damaged the homes of 16 million people when it struck on November 8. Some reports estimate the clean-up and rebuilding will take at least three years.
Meanwhile, Disney is pitching in half-a-million dollars and then some to aid these typhoon victims. In a news release yesterday, Disney announced it will be making an out right donation of $500,000 to Save the Children and the American Red Cross to “… support humanitarian aid and rebuilding efforts related to the recent tragedy in the Philippines.” Also, the company will be matching donations to disaster relief organizations made by its workers through the Disney Employee Matching Gifts: A Program of The Walt Disney Company Foundation.
“Our hearts go out to the millions of people in the Philippines affected by this tragedy,” said Robert A. Iger in the release, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “We hope this donation and our employee matching gift contributions will help families begin to rebuild their lives in the wake of this devastation.”
