Lower Providence's PJM Interconnection Makes $25K Donation To Red Cross For Ida Relief

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — The nation's largest power grid operator announced last week that it would be donating $25,000 to the American Red Cross to be put toward Hurricane Ida storm remediation efforts.

The donation comes from PJM Interconnection, which is based in Lower Providence.

"Our thoughts are with those impacted by this devastating hurricane," PJM President and CEO Manu Asthana said in a statement. "Ida and the tornadoes and flooding spawned in its aftermath were felt throughout the eastern U.S., by the customers served by our member companies and beyond. PJM and its employees hope our contribution can help people in the hurricane's path recover from this event."

The company says that its donation follows in its general spirit of giving and generosity; in 2020, employees donated just over $54,000 in funds matched by PJM to COVID-19 relief.

Its 2020 Impact Report, PJM states, highlights the company's "social responsibility efforts through an environmental, social and governance lens," a company news release states.

PJM said it hopes its donation to the American Red Cross would help those individuals who have been displaced and otherwise negatively affected by Hurricane Ida, which came through the Philadelphia region back on Sept. 1, and left much widespread damage and destruction throughout a number of communities.

In the days since Ida came through the area, the Red Cross has deployed more than 1,900 disaster workers and it, along with other relief organizations, have reported providing more than 21,800 overnight stays in emergency shelters and serving more than 226,000 meals and snacks to those affected, according to PJM.

The Red Cross has also distributed more than 92,800 relief items for folks who were forced from their houses, and it also provided more than 6,100 individual care contacts, according to PJM.

According to a company bio, PJM ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 65 million individuals in more than 13 states along the eastern seaboard and in the Midwest along with the District of Columbia. The company says it coordinates and directs the operation of the region's transmission grid, which includes more than 85,103 miles of transmission lines; it administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and it plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion.