Aidmatrix Disaster / Office Continuity Plan Readiness Test

Today, Aidmatrix ran a test of our Disaster Continuity Readiness Plan. We created this plan to make sure that our office and employees could still function with the same efficiency if a disaster or epidemic forced us to close our U.S. Headquarters physical plant. We have our plan documented and accessible to all employees, but we wanted to be sure that everyone would know how to act and what roles they were supposed to play in case of a disaster. Lastly, we wanted to assess our plan for improvement based on the results and observations from the drill.

Program Manager Kory Schulze and I were the liaisons for today’s disaster scenario, initially contacting the entire office with a conference call dial-in and an online live meeting to ensure that every Aidmatrix employee was safe and stable. Everyone was able to reach Kory is some manner to inform her of their safety and the safety of their families, and how they can best be reached. Everyone was also supposed to make sure they had access to the contact information of their key vendors and partners from outside of the office.

Thanks to our high level of preparedness, I believe that our office was able to seamlessly execute our continuity plan with no warning, just as if a disaster were to strike. This is something that I believe that all businesses, no matter how small or large, should be prepared for.

Do you want Aidmatrix to help you run a similar Disaster Continuity Plan for your office? We can help you plan, create and execute a continuity plan to ensure that your office and employees will be prepared in the event of a disaster. Contact Karen Krygowski at Karen_Krygowski@aidmatrix.org for more information.

Keith Thode
Aidmatrix Chief Operating Officer

Relief Support Through Corporate Disaster Resource Network (CDRN) for Leh District of Jammu & Kashmir, India Flash Flood

Read the full story in our Aidmatrix - India Blog

According to the latest government reports, 193 people have perished and more than 65 are still missing in the Leh flash floods that occurred on the night of 5th August, 2010. Lifeline infrastructure was destroyed including hospitals, bus terminals, radio station transmitter, telephone exchange and mobile-phone towers bringing life to standstill in Leh. 24 villages in Leh region have been severely affected. Initially the rescue efforts were hampered by gushing water and mud but now movement of goods and people is coming back to normalcy. In addition many of the roads leading to Leh were damaged making it difficult to transport relief supplies.

Coordination with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Private Sector Companies
Immediately after the tragedy the CDRN emergency unit, contacted NDMA and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for first hand information on critical needs. Clean drinking water for the survivors, woolen blankets, medicines and alpine tents were urgently required.

CDRN emergency unit quickly assessed the situation and was ready to transport 96000 pre-positioned water purification tablets donated by Aquatabs for those affected in Leh.

The CDRN team contacted several national level companies to provide support for the Leh operations. The response was overwhelming as Corporate India obliged.
The Dharmpal Satyapal Group donated 1050 blankets and 50 alpine tents and Jubilant Bhartia Foundation donated 48,000 litres of packaged drinking water. In addition, 100 Jerry cans were donated by Mount Kailash and 1000 litres of cooking oil by Cargill.

Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways Indian Airlines provided free cargo space for the Leh relief material which enabled CDRN in efficient logistics and helped in economizing relief operations. Transportation was a critical need at this juncture and with the logistics support provided by these three airlines, the relief could reach timely.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is being supported through CDRN for distribution of blankets in the villages like Saboo, ,Basgo, Ney and Miru and CII Northern Region, Secretariat is providing regular updates on the progress.

Aidmatrix Partner ALAN (American Logistics Aid Network) Participates In National Donations Management Network Exercises

Minneapolis, Aug. 26, 2010 –ALAN President Jock Menzies, Director of Operations Kathy Fulton, and Portal Administrator Jeff Tanner recently participated in exercises designed to test the National Donations Management Network. A national exercise was conducted in July and included participants from state emergency management agencies and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD). During the exercise volunteer agencies post needs, state coordinators make those needs visible using the Aidmatrix portal technology, and ALAN posts donations to satisfy the needs. These exercises allow participants to practice using the technology prior to an actual disaster. ALAN's participation has allowed us to establish relationships with state and volunteer organizations, creating the trust necessary to work together during an actual disaster. Through these relationships ALAN has been invited to participate in the planning of a national disaster exercise.

See the story on the ALAN website

Solace for the Children on Nightly News with Brian Williams

NBC Nightly News recently ran a segment about an organization, Solace for the Children, that is bringing young girls from an orphanage in Afghanistan to the United States to receive medical treatment. Solace for the Children has hosted and treated many of the children from the featured Afghanistan orphanage through the years. The featured girl on the original piece, Farzana, is a Solace Child.

Through the help of the Aidmatrix partner ISTAT's Airlink Program, Solace for the Children is able to provide transportation between Southern California and Afghanistan to the girls from the orphanage.

Click here to watch the video

Aidmatrix Network Spring 2010 Release: International Health Partners (IHP)

"We use the Aidmatrix Network to help manage our in-kind medical donations. The new flex fields in the Plus+ version have really helped make the application follow our specific workflows and processes. As we continue to grow our donor base across Europe and expand the services that we offer, the ability to customise fields means that we can ensure the Aidmatrix system continues to meet the needs of our donors."
~Alex Harrix, Industry & Government Relations Director, International Health Partners (IHP)

Visit www.ihpuk.org

Read more quotes from our partners and learn more about our Aidmatrix Network Spring 2010 Release