As we all know, Superstorm Sandy unleashed its wrath across the East Coast, with the brunt of the devastation touching those who live and work in New York and New Jersey.

Many people in the two dozen states that felt Sandy’s wrath lost their homes, about 80 people lost their lives, and countless others were left without power or heat for a week or more with more than $50 billion in damages, all the while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy amid being forced to wait several hours in line to fill their cars with gas and find new ways to get around the city with no subway service.

It’s in times of tragedy like this when people truly find out who their real friends are. In the case of business owners, friendship can take the form of an IT integration company such as Atrion helping the company get its network back online. When disaster strikes, that means more work for a subcontractor like Mid-Atlantic Control Systems, which reported being busier than ever lending its expertise to taxed integrators who needed support.

We share stories of those who thought nothing of reaching out to help where they could when their friends and industry connections needed it most.

When Disaster Strikes …

Staff from the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) has been making its way in and around New York since the storm, helping those who lost their Internet connections to get back online. The ITDRC provides free technology continuity and recovery assistance to communities affected by disaster. Its volunteer IT professionals provide preparedness guidance in advance of a disaster, and provide systems and technical expertise to help communities recover.

Each year, they drive thousands of miles assisting communities affected by disaster, so fuel costs are the group’s largest expense. Here’s hoping ITDRC was successful in winning $5,000 in free gas from Citgo in the Fueling Good promotion that ended in late November.

If you can donate money to cover UPS charges, power protection, network equipment, or other IT equipment, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Access Networks teamed up with ITDRC to donate networks to those affected by Superstorm Sandy, and it’s working with others in the industry to provide more resources to those in need. If you have technology available for donation, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or contact the ITDRC directly.

Change in Plans

In Eden Prairie, Minn., Milestone employees didn’t let the geographical distance between themselves and the East Coast affect their plans on a late October blood drive. The event had been planned with headquarters neighbors Gassen Companies and Connexions Loyalty Travel Solutions well before Superstorm Sandy, but news of the disaster spurred more people to donate, with a total of 38 units collected by Memorial Blood Centers, enough to save up to 114 lives.

Interestingly, many blood drives on the East Coast have been canceled because of the so-called super-storm, so an event like this, part of Milestone’s Community Connections program, takes on even more importance.

Helping First Responders

Honeywell has donated more than $600,000 in first responder products to aid in relief and recovery efforts in areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

The makers of Morning Pride turnout gear for first responders will donate more than 19,000 personal protective products including protective footwear, gloves, hoods and helmets, designed to weather the most arduous conditions. The protective gear will be distributed via the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management in Long Island, New York, to first responder teams in affected areas in New York and New Jersey.

Page 1 of 3
1 2 3 Next »

About the author

D. Craig MacCormack

Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years experience covering local and national news and sports as well as architecture and engineering. He joined Commercial Integrator in January 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigMacCormack.

View all posts by D. Craig MacCormack