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After Chile suffered one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded, U.S. companies have responded by donating money as well as badly needed emergency supplies, temporary housing and communications technology.

As of March, U.S. companies had donated over US$ 6 million on top of the US$ 10 million already committed by the U.S. government in earthquake assistance.

“The Embassy has worked closely with Chilean authorities to ensure that our assistance fulfilled both short term needs, such as water, shelter, energy and transportation, but will also have a long term impact in the affected areas,” said the U.S. Embassy Press Attaché, Paul Watzlavick.

As in so many other countries afflicted by natural disasters, the U.S. private sector has led the relief effort. Multinational firms like Microsoft, Walmart, Procter & Gamble and Walt Disney saw it as a moral obligation to do what they could to help and their employees, many of whom have families affected by the disaster, still made time to volunteer.

The form of the help varied - some companies gave one-time donations while others have taken a longer-term approach – but they all share a common desire to help get their Chilean employees and customers back on their feet.

Money, of course, is welcome. Companies like U.S. mining consultancy MWH and the multinationalconglomerate 3M chose to donate through the non-governmental organization Un Techo Para Chile, Chile’s version of Habitat for Humanity, which has built thousands of low-cost housing solutions, or mediaguas, to shelter the homeless. 

Other companies, like Chicago-based aerospace company Boeing, donated to the American Red Cross which “already has the knowledge, skills and experience to make the best determination of how funds should be distributed,” said company spokeswoman Karen Forte.

Companies like Walt Disney focused their attention on the children affected by the quake. Walt Disney donated US$ 50,000 to the Red Cross and the United Way for rebuilding schools, providing healthcare to burn victims, and donating toys and videos to help kids take their minds off the disaster.

Education is also the focus of 3M’s second phase of help in association with the United Way. In the first phase, 3M donated funds to Un Techo Para Chile, as well as first aid products to the Red Cross and the country’s firefighter organization.

Other companies got involved directly with local communities by donating power generators, offering psychological counseling, giving away food and toiletries, cleaning up debris and providing communications solutions.

Following the quake, Seattle-based software giant Microsoft’s first priority was to make sure its employees and their families were safe. Where possible, it also reached as many customers as possible using Twitter and Facebook because of problems with phone and e-mail networks.

In partnership with telecommunications firm Entel, Microsoft has also helped people connect with relatives in affected areas by offering free Internet in the devastated city of Concepcion.

The project, known as ChileConect@Chile, involved installing a container fitted with 15 computers connected to the Internet. The goal is to deliver 20 such containers to Concepcion by the end of May and 30 more in coming months, said Luiz Marcelo Marrey, CEO of Microsoft Chile. 

“As a technology firm we thought we could make a difference building virtual bridges so people could reconnect with their families and friends,” said Marrey. 

Microsoft has donated US$50,000 to the Chilean non-profit organization Hogar de Cristo and has launched the global 1+1 campaign to match every dollar donated by its employees around the world.

But it’s not stopping there. Microsoft also plans to organize training programs for women, young entrepreneurs and the elderly in the affected areas, to improve their employability and quality of life.

Bill Gates’ software behemoth is not the only U.S. multinational involved in the relief effort. The world’s largest retailer Walmart, which bought Chilean supermarket chain D&S in early 2009, has also played an important role.

Many of Walmart’s stores were damaged by the quake or looted in the following days before troops restored order. The company’s efforts to repair and re-stock its stores and distribution center in Concepción were further complicated by damage to roads and bridges.

Still, despite the extent of the disaster, Walmart reopened its stores within days and helped distribute donated food and clothing in the most affected areas. It also donated US$ 1.4 million to the charity telethon Chile Ayuda a Chile (Chile Helps Chile).

“We focused on what we know how to do well, which is the efficient distribution of goods,” said D&S’ corporate affairs manager, Claudio Hohmann.

Safe Drinking Water

With a market capitalization greater than Chile’s GDP and operations in over 180 countries, U.S. consumer goods producer Procter & Gamble (P&G) has the financial muscle and reach to bring help quickly to anywhere in the world after a natural disaster.

“As soon as this tragedy happened we started to think about how to leverage our advantage of being an international company in order to help Chile,” said P&G’s Corporate Affairs Manager, German Saenz.

As it did following Haiti’s earthquake, P&G gave away home-use water treatment sachets through its Safe Drinking Water Program that provided over 2 million liters of safe drinking water for Chileans.

But P&G did not stop there. Its Ariel, Pampers and Oral-B brands are working with Chile’s national daycare association Junji to replace five childcare centers destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami.

P&G has also donated 1 million Pampers diapers, 12,000 flashlights and US$ 200,000 for reconstruction. In all, the company has donated over US$ 1 million.

But not all help has come from large corporations. U.S.-based environmental NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC), has strong ties to artisan fishing communities, many of which were obliterated by the earthquake and ensuing tsunamis.

In the hardest hit regions like the remote Mocha Island near the mouth of the Tirúa river in the Bío Bío region, downed power lines kept residents in the dark for days after the quake, but TNC sent food and an electricity generator to the island where 40 families lost their homes.

The assistance is part of TNC’s long-term strategy to help fishing communities work in harmony with the environment, said TNC spokesperson Francisco Solis.

Georgia on my Mind

Chileans in the United States have also come to the aid of their homeland. The Chilean American Chamber of Commerce of the South (CACS), Chile’s export promotion arm ProChile and the Chilean Consulate in Atlanta organized the “Georgia Helps Chile” campaign to raise money for Un Techo Para Chile.

With the support of Chilean families in Atlanta, CACS also sent a container filled with emergency products to help with the relief effort.

But Chilean companies are not waiting for help to arrive from abroad. Local pulp and wood products producer Arauco, which is owned by the Chilean fuel and forestry conglomerate Copec, donated US$ 3 million to the Chile Helps Chile telethon and has distributed food, water, fuel and medicine in affected areas.

All 36 of Arauco’s facilities in southern Chile were shut down by the earthquake and one sawmill was lost to the tsunami but all have since reopened except for the Constitución pulp mill and Line 2 of the Arauco pulp mill.

“The earthquake and tsunami struck precisely where our plants are located,” said Arauco’s corporate affairs manager, Charles Kimber, adding the company has been working “24-7” on relief and reconstruction in the last two months.

Arauco assisted with the security situation after the quake, helped to clean up debris and facilitated the use of two production units to build temporary housing solutions. 

In conjunction with Chile’s Catholic University, Arauco has also provided psychological counseling for 25 coastal municipalities including municipal employees, teachers, community leaders and business people. Attendance at these sessions has reached over 700.

“The catastrophe put us in a situation we never imagined. It put our whole organization to the test, and we’re happy we responded so well,” said Kimber.

The Southern Hemisphere winter will soon bring cold rain and fierce winds to southern Chile, but thousands of Chileans who lost their homes and livelihoods have found shelter and support thanks to the generosity of companies like Walmart, Microsoft and Arauco. 

Whether by donating money to organizations like Un Techo Para Chile or delivering badly needed humanitarian aid, U.S. companies and their employees have led by example, showing why Corporate Social Responsibility is not just a catchphrase.

Anthony Esposito is a stringer for Dow Jones Newswires in Santiago.