San Francisco, CA, October 29, 2010 - On October 21, 2010,cross-sector leaders in supply chain, business continuity, corporate social responsibility, and emergency management gathered for the kickoff of CRADAR - the California Resiliency Alliance Disaster Asset Registry.  Hosted by Visa at their headquarters in Foster City, CA, the quarterly meeting of the California Resiliency Alliance (CRA) featured a presentation and round-table discussion about the use of private sector resources to support emergency responders in times of disaster.  Keith Thode, Chief Operating Officer of Aidmatrix Foundation, was on hand to unveil the technology tool, part of the organization's global network of humanitarian logistics tools available to assist emergency responders and nonprofits.

 

The Bay Area is especially vulnerable to disasters, acts of terrorism, and disruptive events, including massive events like earthquakes and tsunamis and more localized events like the recent San Bruno explosion.  The missing link in immediate disaster response is the identification of available private sector resources and capabilities.  "In recent disasters, businesses have shown they're willing to donate food, supplies, transportation, warehouses and experts to help in the response and relief efforts," explains Peter Ohtaki, CRA Executive Director. "The California Resiliency Alliance and Aidmatrix are providing businesses a way to pre-identify these resources, save time, and potentially save lives."

 

Through CRADAR, businesses, corporations, and non-profit organizations can pre-identify assets and capabilities that they may have available in the case of a disaster.  Once registered, asset managers can activate or deactivate pre-identified assets and indicate whether they are available on a pro bono, at-cost, or retail basis without obligation and without liability.  It allows CRA representatives at the Emergency Operations Center to more efficiently and effectively receive and fulfill needs requests with available private sector resources.

 

The CRADAR system is part of a worldwide network powered by Aidmatrix whose humanitarian logistics and response tools that are currently used by FEMA, the U.N., and CalEMA.  At the CRADAR kickoff, Paul Jacks, former Deputy Director of California Office of Emergency Management, shared his reflections on the use of Aidmatrix technology during the 2006 San Diego wildfires.  According to Jacks, "The system provided a high degree of automation and information sharing that greatly enhanced the efforts of donors, nonprofits, corporate partners, and government agencies to meet the needs of disaster survivors."

 

As we reflect on the Great California ShakeOut on Oct. 21, one way that you and your company can get involved in disaster preparedness is to visit the California Resiliency Alliance Disaster Asset Registry at www.cradar.org, follow the three easy registration steps, and enter assets that your company can make available.