Companies working to help community resiliency

| 01.03.2008 | 14:33:207322 |

January 3 '08 In December, the New York Times ran a story covering companies and organizations' participation in working to help communities respond to disasters in the immediate aftermath. At the heart, experts told the Times that "managers and executives need to collaborate with outsiders like local officials and charities, ideally on a continuing basis, and not only in the midst of a crisis."

Working with local communities like San Francisco during the Bay Area Preparedness Initiative, the Fritz Institute's Chairman and Founder Lynn C. Fritz said that the need for cooperation was great among the public and private sectors.

"The private sector is good at tools and technology and preparing for unforeseen things. ... They're extremely good at training. These are enormous attributes for the humanitarian world," and that they must be leveraged along with public sector leadership and response.

According to the Times, annually, private giving among companies to relief efforts has been growing steadily in the last couple of years due in part from recent natural disasters and an increase in public awareness about the potential dangers communities may face.

From companies like Caterpillar, Toys "R" Us, and Qualcomm, they are able to use their unique relationship with their clientele to establish trusted networks to help facilitate the movement of resources, information and money before, during and after emergencies. In some cases, companies are donating to arts foundations to help rebuild communities' artistic heritage.

business_continuity_study_results.pdf