Thornton Tomasetti contributes $30,000 to international disaster relief efforts

NEW YORK – International engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti has contributed a total of $30,000 to three organizations involved in disaster relief efforts in Joplin, Mo., Christchurch, New Zealand, and Japan, respectively. Each organization received $10,000 from the firm to use toward rebuilding these devastated communities.

In each community, Thornton Tomasetti helped evaluate post-event damage, recommended structural remediation and helped settle insurance claims to accelerate recovery.

When a deadly tornado ripped through Joplin, Mo., a team of Thornton Tomasetti professionals arrived at the scene within days to provide damage assessment to buildings in the area. A $10,000 check was presented to Tim Rich, executive director of the Heart of Missouri United Way, to support its relief efforts.

Thornton Tomasetti’s Property Loss Consulting practice provided damage assessments of a wide range of structures in Christchurch, New Zealand after the city suffered a major earthquake in February 2011. Thornton Tomasetti maintains an office in the area, and donated $10,000 to the United States-New Zealand Council. President Bill Maroni accepted the donation on behalf of the American Friends of Christchurch.

Bob DeScenza, president of Thornton Tomasetti, presented a $10,000 donation on April 4, 2012 to AmeriCares, which has provided $3.2 million to the recovery effort following the March 2011earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The organization brings medical and hygiene supplies, vehicles for medical teams and other items to the devastated communities. President and CEO of AmeriCares, Curtis Welling, accepted the donation from Thornton Tomasetti.

Thornton Tomasetti hosted a holiday greeting card drive in 2011, announcing that the firm will donate $1 to relief efforts for each client or colleague that “likes” Thornton Tomasetti on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ThorntonTomasetti) until December 31, 2012.

"Each of these organizations is working hard to help these communities to recover and rebuild. We are pleased to provide our support to such deserving initiatives,” said Robert DeScenza, P.E., LEED AP, president, New York, Thornton Tomasetti.