Budweiser stops brewing beer to send water to flood victims

The world’s biggest brewer halted production this week to make water — rather than beer — to help those affected by a string of deadly storms in Texas and Oklahoma.
Anheuser-Busch, the company behind Budweiser and Bud Light, has stopped producing its famous lager at its Georgia brewery in order to send out 50,000 cans of emergency water for people living in the afflicted communities.
“Right now our production line is running emergency drinking water instead of beer,” Cartersville brewery manager Rob Haas told NBC.
Anheuser-Busch will be sending around 2,000 cases of water, each containing 24 cans. The shipment should reach residents in Texas and Oklahoma within the next few days, Haas said.
Storms have swept across the region this week, sparking historic flooding that has left at least 25 people dead and more than a dozen missing.

As water wells supplying hundreds of residents in the area remain dry due to a longstanding drought, Anheuser-Busch ultimately decided to use its ongoing disaster relief partnership with the American Red Cross to its advantage.
Since the Cartersville brewery produces cans of water for the aid organization several times a year and sends them to those in need across the US, the logistics were already in place and employees were prepared for production.
“It’s something we’re uniquely positioned to do in a very timely period,” Haas said.
Red Cross spokesman Jordan Scott described the task now at hand.
“Oklahoma and Texas are in an unprecedented situation,” he explained. “There are a lot of folks in need and everyone’s coming forward to help out.”