Last week, we announced that any DRI-certified professionals who are currently unemployed may attend DRI2012 on us! That's right, your full-conference pass is free!

We've had a few takers and thought we'd be sure the word was out by running the offer in Drive one more time.

The offer is extended as a professional courtesy to DRI-certified professionals who are currently out of work. We'd like to do our part to help you network, stay sharp, and keep your CEAPs current.

The full conference pass (worth $1495) is yours free, but you will need to cover your hotel and travel costs. If you're interested, please contact me at brojas@drii.org and I'll let you know how to register.

  Webinar: DRI Foundation FAQs

You know DRI International, but you may not know about the Disaster Recovery International Foundation. That's why we're holding a "DRI Foundation FAQs" webinar - to raise awareness of the foundation and its projects, to let you know how you can get involved, and to answer your questions. The webinar will be held Thursday, May 10 from 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. E.D.T.; click here to register now.

In a nutshell, it's all about giving back - giving back to our industry, to communities in need, to those who need a hand preparing for or recovering from crises. The foundation seeks to offer assistance when and where needed and also wants to offer an opportunity to our community of business continuity professionals to do more, go above and beyond, and give back.

Right now, there are two DRI Foundation projects running in cooperation with DRI2012. First, we'll get our hands dirty while opening our hearts during Volunteer Day, on Saturday, May 19, 2012, in New Orleans. The foundation is sponsoring two good causes -- Habitat for Humanity and Second Harvest/Feed America in New Orleans. DRI Foundation Director of Volunteerism, Clyde Berger, will be on the webinar to tell you all about the rewards of volunteering, about his many trips to New Orleans and how each time he got far more than he gave.

 Second, you'll learn about the foundation's silent auction. It's running online now through May 16 and culminates in the on-site silent auction on Tuesday, May 22, during the  DRI2012 conference. The auction will raise funds for the foundation's charitable works. DRI Foundation Chair AnneMarie Staley and DRI Foundation Fundraising Chair, Michele Verdino Ostler, will be online to talk about the foundation and the auction. They'll even preview some of the exciting items you can bid on!

To register, click here. And if you just can't wait to bid, click here to do that too!

You've probably heard about the CDC's quirky Zombie Preparedness campaign. If not, read on, and I'll summarize below, but believe me it puts the fun in functional by using humor to advocate preparedness. This week, the CDC announced that Zombie Task Force T-shirts are now available.

"Zombie Task Force t-shirt are made of super-soft, pre-shrunk, ringspun cotton and feature the CDC logo on the front and the ZTF moto on the back 'Don't Be a Zombie, Be Prepared.' Shirts are available in sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL." Click here to plunk down your $12 for the only bit of BCP fashion I've ever heard of! They're selling like hotcakes, so hurry!

And click here to learn more about the Zombie Preparedness Program. They've got lots of fun downloads, including posters and even a graphic novel (that's a comic book).

Says the CDC site, "What first began as a tongue in cheek campaign to engage new audiences with preparedness messages has proven to be a very effective platform. We continue to reach and engage a wide variety of audiences on all hazards preparedness via Zombie Preparedness; and as our own director, Dr. Ali Khan, notes, 'If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack.'"

In last week's one-question survey, we asked about work-related Smartphone usage. Specifically, we wanted to know if your employer provides you with a smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone, Android, etc.). Well, the results are in, and iPhone ranked second with 21.8 percent of respondents saying they get an iPhone from their employer.

To find out which device ranked number one and to see complete results and comments, visit the DRI International LinkedIn. And if you've got an idea for a future survey, send me an email and let me know!

Do you incorporate social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) into your business continuity and/or crisis communications plans? That's what we want to know in this week's one-question survey. So, click here to reply and be sure to make liberal use of the comments box to tell us more about your answer.

Then check in next week for the results, which we publish in part in Drive and in their entirety on our DRI International LinkedIn, where we'll host a discussion on this topic (and lots of others too!).

DRI2012 set out to be different, and it is! From our emphasis on giving back to our insistence on innovative, advanced sessions, we've made it our business to tailor this business continuity conference to meet the needs of our audience. And here's another way we've done it...

With so many fantastic sessions to choose from, you won't be able to get to all of them. So, we've convened end-of-day panels during which you can hear from some of the speakers you may have missed. The panel discussions will feature a variety of topics, including metrics and risk and you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

To register for DRI2012, to be held May 20-23 in New Orleans, click here! It's just 22 days away!

Jazz fans know that New Orleans' JazzFest begins in New Orleans today, and for two music and food-filled weekends, JazzFest fans get to hear the best in the business on 12 stages under the hot Louisiana sun.  

But in the spring of 2006, many thought JazzFest wasn't going to happen. It was so soon after Katrina, and the hotels and restaurants weren't ready. But musicians like Jimmy Buffet and Dr. John had a different vision... they were ready.  

So that first year after Katrina, the music played on. And did it ever! Musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Allen Toussaint, Dave Matthews, Bob Dylan, Keb Mo, Kermit Ruffins, Trombone Shorty, Koko Taylor, Irma Thomas, Fats Domino, Keith Urban, Theresa Anderson, Paul Simon, Buckwheat Zydecco, Marcia Ball and, of course, Jimmy Buffet and Dr John. Now I can't guarantee who the driving force was for getting JazzFest on track and the city ready for a big party. No one can. Some credit Buffet, but we'll never really know, I guess.

We'll also never know for sure the answer to a far more sobering question: How many people lost their lives as a result of Katrina? Some records say 1723. Some say 1800. Some say 3500. Some reports as high as 4100 across the Gulf Coast.

And much like Katrina fatalities, the fatalities New York City on September 11, 2001, numbered in the thousands. Of the approximately 2600 people who died that day, 343 were New York firefighters and paramedics. Approximately 91 fire apparatus were destroyed.

As disaster sometimes drives inspiration, determination and support, something extraordinary happened after 911, and with it a bond was created between New Orleans and New York City that will be forever evident.   As one man, Ron Goldman, a New Orleans resident watched President George Bush on TV, he said aloud to nobody in particular, "We need to do something to help them." Ron's wife, seated nearby, simply replied "So then get off your behind Ronnie and do something." And that started the most incredible string of events that brought help to the FDNY and pride to New Orleans and Louisiana, via the Pride of Louisiana - a fire truck built in Louisiana, with funds raised by Louisianans for the people of New York.

One man had a simple vision. And what does Ronnie Goldman say to all this today, "I simply planted the seed and plenty came with watering cans." And Ronnie's daughter summed up the success of his heart warming idea, "It goes to prove one thing, if you get off your butt to do something, anything is possible."   

Come back next week to hear how two cities joined by disasters, came to help one another in the most amazing ways over the course of many years.

Clyde Berger

Disaster Recovery International Foundation

Director of Volunteerism and Vice President