While we on the west coast are safely out of Hurricane Sandy’s path, the servers that support the NCG website and member database are hosted in Washington, D.C., which is expecting power outages due to Sandy.
Please note that our website may be unavailable at times during the next few days as a result.
We regret any inconvenience this may cause and if you need immediate assistance, please contact NCG staff at 415.777.4111.
With Hurricane Sandy hitting the eastern seaboard of the United States, perhaps it’s time to take a moment to point out NCG’s Disaster Preparedness & Response Toolkit, a resource developed by NCG members.
Designed to help a foundation prepare both internally and externally for a disaster, the NCG Disaster Preparedness & Response Toolkit can be used to:
Check out the toolkit online and if you’re on the east coast–be safe!
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.
#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.