Northern California Grantmakers

This is a special edition of Twitter Thursday here on the NCG blog. With last week’s devastating explosion and fire in San Bruno, NCG has been following the news of the disaster relief efforts and responses online.

And Twitter has been a very useful ally in those efforts.

Here’s Who We’re Following on Twitter

#sanbrunofire and #brunofire
Very quickly after the explosion and fire in San Bruno, these two Twitter conversation threads began. I’ve been following both of them and tagging any tweets I put out there with the #sanbrunofire and #brunofire hashtags to share news on relief efforts.

Here are some of the recent tweets that have shown up on these threads (and the authors of those tweets):

markeru: Calif. Insurance Commissioner Poizner Warns San Bruno Residents To Watch For Scams. #SanBrunoFire http://bit.ly/aSk2TE

sfappeal: #SanBrunoFire: Congressional Committee Meets On Pipeline Safety sfappeal.com/news/2010/09/s…

TheFireTracker2: RT @EPSystems: 12 Simple Steps You Can Do to Prepare Your Workplace for an Emergency http://om.ly/udPd #NPM10 #preparedness #sanbrunofire

Follow these two conversation threads to learn more about relief efforts and the latest news about the disaster.

AAA_NCNU
NCG member AAA of Northern California, Nevada & Utah used Twitter keep their San Bruno AAA members informed about services and assistance. Here’s a sampling of their tweets:

Two addt’l claims centers set up at http://bit.ly/SanBrunoAAA & http://bit.ly/SanMateoAAA branches w/ ext’d hours thru weekend.

We will be providing debit cards to our insureds displaced from their homes by San Bruno fire to help with immediate living expenses.

Arranged for our San Bruno area Hertz partner offices to provide rental vehicles to AAA NCNU customers who have lost or damaged cars.

Follow AAA_NCNU on Twitter for more information.

PGE4Me
NCG member PG&E has been using their PGE4Me Twitter account to update the public about their role in the disaster response efforts, respond to news reports about the explosion and provide customer service during this critical time.

Posting dozens of tweets a day, PG&E is using this social media platform to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. Here are some of their tweets following the San Bruno explosion and fire:

If it is ultimately determined that we were responsible for the cause of the incident, we will take accountability.

We are committed to help the healing and rebuilding process and allow the wonderful people of San Bruno to begin 2 move forward.

PG&E President Chris Johns announces the ‘Rebuild San Bruno’ fund – http://bit.ly/9wFvz7 #sanbrunofire

redcrossbayarea
The Bay Area chapter of the Red Cross has been regularly tweeting information on disaster relief services for victims of the San Bruno fire and posting information on how the public can help with their response efforts.

Here’s their recent Twitter activity following the explosion:

The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter disaster action team is on the scene in San Bruno responding to a fire… http://fb.me/HuZ56D1d

Wrapping up #sanbrunofire meetings with affected families for today. Will begin again tomorrow at the local area assistance center.

Support from the Bay Area community has been fantastic. Here’s one child who helped raise money for the relief… http://fb.me/sJaELvzC

Follow redcrossbayarea for the latest news from the Bay Area Red Cross.

Have any Twitter recommendations for us? Let us know who you think we should be following.

Since last Thursday when the natural gas explosion and fire devastated a San Bruno neighborhood, there have been many generous donations on the part of individuals and organizations to help with the fire relief efforts.

NCG members have also responded and we’d like to highlight the following members* for their efforts:

AAA of Northern California, Nevada & Utah has arranged for AAA members whose car was lost or damaged by the explosion and fire to receive a rental from their partner Hertz. They will also provide debit cards to their members who were displaced from their homes to help with immediate living expenses.

Bank of America has pledged $25,000 to the Bay Area chapter of the American Red Cross for relief efforts.

Jewish Community Federation is accepting donations that “will be directly distributed to the most effective service providers in the Jewish and general communities.”

Levi Strauss Foundation is offering victims of the explosion/fire a $250 gift card. The gift cards are available through Bay Area Red Cross chapters and can be spent at any Levi’s Store. Victims can receive disaster relief by calling 1-888-443-5772 or going to redcrossbayarea.org.

PG&E has established a “Rebuild San Bruno Fund” which will make available up to $100 million for the residents and city of San Bruno to help recover from the explosion and fire.

The San Francisco Foundation has established a San Bruno Relief Fund. The foundation approved $100,000 to launch the fund.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation has set up a San Bruno Fire Fund. The foundation is offering an initial $100,000 match on all gifts to aid in the response and recovery of this neighborhood.

Wells Fargo has donated to the Bay Area Red Cross to aid victims, will allow customers to make donations to the Red Cross at any of its ATMs in San Mateo County during the month of September.

ZeroDivide Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Tim Wu gives his first-hand account of witnessing the San Bruno explosion and fire on the foundation’s blog.

*Not an exhaustive list. If you’re an NCG member please let us know how you are responding to the San Bruno explosion and fire.