PRESS RELEASE – RBC last Friday announced an initial commitment of US$40,000 to Red Cross agencies in St. Maarten and Antigua/Barbuda to assist with relief efforts in these countries in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
“The first images coming out of these islands show the extent to which Irma destroyed the homes of our employees, residents and their communities. We are committed to supporting recovery efforts and are proud to partner with the Red Cross to support the great work of first responders,” said Rob Johnston, CEO, RBC, Caribbean Banking.
RBC’s Caribbean Incident Management Team was activated at the early warning stage of Irma’s trajectory and has been in constant communication with national agencies in the region ever since to ensure our precautionary and relief efforts are coordinated, efficient and effective.
As the situation continues to evolve, we will assess the hurricane’s impact on our clients, employees and communities and will mobilize additional relief efforts accordingly.
“Our employees are also stepping up to support relief efforts and we honour their commitment,” said Johnston. “RBC employees are donating to support relief efforts directly and through RBC’s global donations programme and encouraging all of us in the Caribbean region to work together and #StandStrong.”
With more than 100 years of history in the region, we have experienced the impact of natural disasters before – as recently 2016 when Hurricane Matthew created significant damage in the Northern Caribbean. As then, we will work with national agencies, industry and government to ensure the safety of our employees and support the recovery and rebuilding efforts for our clients and communities.