ALAN activates for Hurricane Idalia

The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) announced yesterday it had activited its logistics aid activities associated with Hurricane Idalia, including its microsite that contains specifics on logistics aid needs for ongoing relief efforts. ALAN also shared these five tips for preparedness and response:

1. Make personal safety a priority.

If you or some of your business locations are located anywhere near Hurricane Idalia’s path, be sure to monitor the National Hurricane Center and your local National Weather Service forecast for real-time details. 

2. Get the latest detailed information.

Read about storm-related road closures, facility  closures and more by visiting ALAN’s Supply Chain Intelligence Center. 

3. View disaster relief requests.

ALAN is actively fielding and fulfilling Hurricane Idalia and other major disaster relief requests (including many from the Maui fires).  You can view the latest by going to the “What’s The Latest And How Can You Help With Relief Efforts?” section of our Disaster Micro-Site.

4. Consider pre-offering help via ALAN.

If you’d like to “pre- offer” your space, equipment, expertise or services, please visit https://www.alanaid.org/how-to-help/ on our website to fill out a form.

5. Don’t self-deploy to disaster-impacted sites, and don’t participate in product collection drives.

Although the intention behind both of these activities is good, ALAN noted, they often create more challenges than they solve, because they tend to get in the way of responders who are working to save lives – and add confusion to an emergency supply chain that is already under tremendous strain.  If you’re looking for a meaningful way to help, pick a humanitarian organization and collect money for it instead.  Such donations will be much more useful and efficient – and far more likely to actually reach storm survivors.