This Atlantic hurricane season was the most devastating in the last decade. And relief organizations have rallied support, providing supplies and rescuing evacuees.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria were “by far the biggest and most disruptive hurricanes we’ve ever seen,” said Richard Fain, CEO of Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). Fain has been at the helm of the company for 29 years and said his team has been laser-focused on helping communities across Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
“I do have to say everybody came to the fore. It was really heartening to see how the storm really seemed to bring out the best in people — people tried to help, people on the islands were resilient and accepting — in a terrible time there was a little glimmer of something good there,” he explained.
How Royal Caribbean is helping hurricane-affected communities
In addition to providing nearly 30,000 gallons of water and over 13,000 pounds of pet food and supplies, and nearly 10,000 gallons of milk, the company evacuated 1,700 people, many of whom were employees.
“We consider ourselves fortunate, blessed to be in a position where we can give back a little bit,” Fain told Yahoo Finance.
The company even coordinated with the University of Miami to bring a dialysis machine to Puerto Rico.
Of course, cruise lines are no strangers to inclement weather. Royal Caribbean even hired a chief meteorologist this year to monitor how weather will impact sailings. But Fain said there’s no possible way to fully prepare for the damage.
“We can’t forecast them but we’re resilient and frankly we go to some 450 destinations around the world so we’re able to mix and match. [These two] seemed to be particularly well-pointed at us. So every port that we went to in the Caribbean got some of the harm. But fortunately we were able to make some adjustments. And we’re a strong enough company to move on,” he said.
As Royal Caribbean helps communities rebuild, it’s also resuming itineraries.
“What we really want to do is see the strength that the cruise industry and tourism bring to these islands. Tourism can be one of the strongest contributors to these economies going forward. We intend to be part of that,” he said.
Melody Hahm is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.
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