Emergency Response Organizations

If someone said the words "bucket brigade" to you, would they have any meaning at all? Kids today are probably not learning about the old days when neighbors served as their own fire departments, organizing these bucket brigades, dipping buckets full of water from a well, a trough or a stream and then handing in a line to fight blazes. It was not efficient by today's standards but it was what they had at the time.

Today, thanks to the internet, emergency help can be as near as your keyboard, organized so well that a click of the mouse can put you in touch with the right group, whether you are in need of help or are interested in being the one to give assistance to others. It doesn't matter how big or small your assistance is, because anything is better than nothing in the face of a storm. If you are going to give, it is important to know exactly where your strengths are. If you do not have the time or energy to give directly, you may be able to give money or other items. If you do not have the cash to donate, there is another option. You can offer to give organization to the group. You can build a web site that will give all of the relevant details.

As the person who will be charged with this very important task, you should learn the basics of How to create a web site, especially if you have never done so before. Because of its importance in the emergency response chain, this web site should be as simple and straightforward as possible. The first page should list names and numbers of people to call in particular situations as well as that information for local police departments, fire and emergency medical personnel. Additional information about how to provide help should also be listed. Make sure that your web site is giving several options for assistance, so that people who may not be able to help financially can still make a contribution. Information for where to take donations such as clothes, blankets, food and baby supplies should be included in a prominent location.

These web sites are a wonderful addition to the emergency response network, because many people check the internet for any information on emergency and catastrophes first. The people who are providing relief need to make sure that there is someone who is relaying information to other groups, coordinating out of town work crews and keeping curious onlookers from coming to a highly dangerous and already very chaotic scene. The crews might also use these web sites as a way to relay information back to their own families, especially if phones are overloaded and they cannot make personal phone calls. Since there are so many ways the web sites are used, they become more and more important. Learning how to get one up and running quickly and maintaining it until the emergency is cleared up is vital.

(Thanks for the guest-post Sam Peters)

Read more...

How Your Company Can Help Hurricane Sandy Victims

 One of the best ways to simultaneously improve your business’ reputation and save it a little bit of money come tax time is to donate and help out charitable organizations. While there is a plethora of philanthropic organizations to choose from, right now it’s good to focus particularly on those that are working hard to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. When you look at Charles Phillips White House profile, it doesn’t mention all of the work he has done to help others through his foundation, Phillips Charitable Organizations. The foundation serves as a portal to help Veterans, engineering students and single parents. Currently the foundation is focused on awarding grants to those who lived in the areas that were hit the hardest during the hurricane. Apple made a splash in the news recently when it donated 2.5 million dollars to Hurricane Sandy relief. The company donated the large sum to the Red Cross and did it not just via their own monetary reserves but through the customers on iTunes. The company set up a link that iTunes users could use to contribute to the fund too. This doesn’t just help the company donate more money, it helpes make their customers feel like they were a part of the action as well, which provided them with incentive to donate as much as they could (and to think more highly of Apple and its subsidiaries).

Obviously donating money to the Red Cross is a good idea for any business. The donation can be written off on the company taxes and, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the organization is more in need of funding than ever. If you feel the need to do more, however, you should contact them and ask them to help you set up a blood drive. The Red Cross lost a sizable portion of its donated blood reserves in the hurricane and is in desperate need of new donations. Setting up and running the blood drive (and, of course, donating your own blood if you are able) helps the Red Cross and shows your community just how dedicated you are to helping people who need it. If you live nearby (or have staff that live nearby) you can also volunteer in person. You might even coordinate efforts with people in your local community to head over as a group. Your business can sponsor lodging and travel in exchange for people donating their time and energy to physically helping with the cleanup and aftermath of the storm. There are a lot of ways that your business can contribute to the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy and to help the people who are victims of the storm. Remember: helping isn’t just good for business purposes (charitable donations and activities are tax deductible), it’s good for building up your business’s reputation as well (and, of course, it feels really good to help people who need it).

 {*Thanks for the guest post Sam Peters*)

Read more...

The Importance of Knowing the Wind Condition

Starting a business enterprise is relatively easy but making it prosper and get ahead of the competition for a long period of time is a very challenging and daunting obligation. Apart from implementing strategic actions, constant planning and market research should also be employed to keep the business successful. Another essential aspect to be considered in a prosperous and thriving business is the ability to forecast the incoming weather especially the wind speed as this may affect the efficiency of the overall business operation. Customers have the tendency not to go out from their homes to transact business if the weather condition is not good.

If the weather status is important to regular business operations like offices and other establishments, it is all the more crucial to sea-based enterprises like cargo vessels and luxury ships; and even to the hotels and beach resorts that offers water sports and water-based activities like kayaking, power boating, dinghy racing, yacht racing, cruising, kite surfing, cruising and wind surfing. To be able to make this kind of business flourish and interesting to the potential customers, company owners and business managers should be able to predict wind condition or wind marine forecast particularly during the peak season and throughout the year. By getting the right ideas, thoughts and resources, the business can design the best vacation packages that will definitely capture the attention of the guests who want to make the most of their time while on vacation.

Read more...