Leadership

Associations Join Sandy Recovery Effort

With resources and expertise to support local efforts, associations are springing into action in the storm zone.

The East Coast is in full cleanup and recovery mode after Hurricane Sandy left a devastating path of destruction earlier this week. Associations throughout the country are doing their part to help in hard-hit places like Atlantic City and Hoboken, New Jersey, and New York City.

Here’s what a few organizations are doing:

The Promotional Products Association International, in conjunction with the Regional Association Council, has opened up the Promotional Products Disaster Recovery Foundation’s Business Recovery Fund to assist promotional products industry members and nonmembers. “I encourage the industry to reach out and help with recovery efforts to get our fellow promotional products industry members back up and running,” said Paul Bellantone, CAE, president and CEO of PPAI.

Rx Response, a single point of contact for the bio-pharmaceutical supply system, moved to its highest alert status. Rx Response—developed by the American Hospital Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Generic Pharmaceutical Association, and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, among others—also activated its Pharmacy Status Reporting Tool, which “allows emergency managers and the public to readily locate open pharmacies in communities that have been impacted by severe weather or other events.”

Members of the Southeastern Electric Exchange are sending additional crews to the East Coast. Texas-New Mexico Power and Southern Company are among several SEE members assisting First Energy, Dominion, and Baltimore Gas & Electric, members of the organization serving states in Sandy’s path.

In preparation for emergency animal rescue throughout the Northeast, the American Humane Association deployed its Red Star Rescue teams, led by the 82-foot Rescue Rig that serves as the base and housing for specially trained staff and volunteers. AHA also shared tips to keep children and pets safe before, during, and after the storm.

Member organizations of the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives sent nearly 160 people to Virginia, Maryland, and western North Carolina to assist with power restoration efforts. The deployment of crews is “part of a mutual aid agreement shared between the nation’s nearly 1,000 electric cooperatives to help one another in times of emergency,” the organization said.

The American Bar Association is offering assistance to survivors with legal needs and providing disaster-related resources for lawyers. Its Young Lawyers Division will coordinate volunteer lawyers for Disaster Legal Services’ toll-free hotlines for low-income survivors.

Know of any other disaster-relief efforts being made by associations, maybe even your own? Let us know in the comments below.

Flooding in New York City. (Photo by david_shankbone/Flickr)

Rob Stott

By Rob Stott

Rob Stott is a contributing editor for Associations Now. MORE

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