The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →On September 6, 2005, BetaNews reported that Microsoft was contributing nearly $1 million in cash and lending three satellite-equipped buses for emergency communications after Hurricane Katrina. The report also described technology support, employee giving and volunteering, and relief-related advertising, alongside separate efforts by other companies. These were contemporaneous pledges and reported actions—not an audited accounting of what was ultimately delivered.
What Microsoft’s reported response included
BetaNews reported that Microsoft’s contribution combined financial support with communications and technology assistance:
- Cash: nearly $1 million in support.
- Communications equipment: three buses equipped with satellite systems, loaned for emergency communications.
- IT recovery: work with state and local governments, businesses, and educational institutions to repair damaged information-technology infrastructure.
- Red Cross communications planning: assistance with a technology plan intended to support communications among 240 relief centers.
The report also named Intel, Cisco, and SBC Communications as participants in efforts to build reliable communications across the Red Cross network. It did not provide a detailed breakdown of each company’s contribution to that effort.
Employee giving, volunteering, and fundraising promotion
Microsoft employees were reported to be donating, with company matching, and volunteering at Red Cross centers. Microsoft also pledged advertising space across its web properties to encourage donations to nonprofit relief organizations. BetaNews did not state the total employee donations or quantify the value of Microsoft’s advertising space.
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Other companies’ reported relief efforts
| Company | Reported action |
| Comcast | Offered $10 million in advertising space to nonprofits soliciting relief donations. |
| Qwest | Sent 2,000 calling cards so refugees could contact family. |
| Intel Foundation | Pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross and offered to match employee contributions during September 2005. |
| T-Mobile | Was reported to have restored service to most of downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter, and opened its network to most GSM phones regardless of provider. |
| Nextel | Donated 3,000 walkie-talkie phones to first responders. |
These efforts addressed different needs: fundraising promotion, family contact, network access, and communications equipment for responders. The figures and descriptions above are those reported by BetaNews on September 6, 2005; the article did not establish that every pledge was fulfilled.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2005 report does—and does not—establish
The report is a snapshot of announced commitments and then-current activity in the days after Katrina. It gives no comprehensive later accounting of completed donations, equipment use, restored services, or long-term outcomes. Its figures should therefore be understood as reported pledges or actions at that time, not as independently audited totals or evidence of measured impact.
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Source: Ed Oswald, “Microsoft, Others Pledge Katrina Relief,” BetaNews, September 6, 2005.
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