In the wake of Hurricane Ida’s category 4 landfall in Louisiana on Sunday, officials and aid workers are assessing damage and needed relief efforts. Today Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company will donate money in support of those efforts.
“Our thoughts are with everyone in Hurricane Ida’s path, especially those sheltering in Louisiana, and we’re grateful for the first responders who are helping keep communities safe,” Cook said in a tweet this morning. “Apple will be donating to relief and recovery efforts on the ground.”
With the storm only just heading inland today, the full extent of damages is being tallied. There are no indications yet how much money or to what organizations Apple might contribute. The company usually does not disclose contribution amounts, in any case.
Hurricane Ida’s destruction so far
Hurricane Ida made landfall as a category 4 storm near Port Fourchon, Louisiana on Sunday with 150 mph wind speeds. It ranked as the second-most intense hurricane to strike Louisiana directly, after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
Ida caused extensive damage and power outages in parts of the state.
In the storm’s aftermath, more than 1 million people lack power in Louisiana, including the entire city of New Orleans. Officials said the storm “caused catastrophic transmission damage” to the electrical system.
Our thoughts are with everyone in Hurricane Ida’s path, especially those sheltering in Louisiana, and we’re grateful for the first responders who are helping keep communities safe. Apple will be donating to relief and recovery efforts on the ground.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 30, 2021
Apple’s history of donation
The Cupertino tech giant often donates to relief efforts after natural disasters. However, Apple does not disclose how much it donates.
In recent examples, earlier in August Apple committed to relief funding following Haiti’s deadly earthquake. Earlier this summer, the company helped fund flood relief efforts in Western Europe.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
