FORT MILL, S.C.—Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. has donated $115,000 to the American Red Cross to be used in recovery efforts following catastrophic flooding in South Carolina.
The donations—which comprise $100,000 from Continental A.G. and $15,000 from Continental Tire the Americas—will serve to help residents in the area who were impacted, the firm said.
"We appreciate the generosity of businesses like Continental, whose financial support for the relief operation enables the Red Cross to help communities affected by the widespread flooding across South Carolina," said Louise Welch Williams, regional Red Cross CEO for Palmetto, South Carolina.
Conti employs about 1,300 at three facilities in South Carolina. The tire maker said it was fortunate enough to remain unaffected by the flooding, but many of its employees and their families were impacted in the Sumter, S.C., area.
According to Conti, earlier this month the town of Sumter received 20 inches of rain in 48 hours—a record for the area—wreaking havoc on the city's infrastructure, destroying homes and forcing schools and businesses to close for up to a week.
Due to the inundation of the water and sewage system, Sumter was placed under a boil water advisory for several days, as well as a nightly curfew, the company added.
Immediately following the flooding, employees from the Fort Mill headquarters location for Continental Tire delivered more than 16,000 water bottles of water to their colleagues at the Sumter facility.
“It is incredibly important that we help each other during difficult circumstances,” said Jochen Etzel, CEO, Continental Tire the Americas. “The time and resources our employees have dedicated to helping one another during this time shows a great sense of pride in South Carolina and our Continental family.”