Hurricane Dorian Archives - Material Handling Wholesaler

ALAN seeks material handling equipment for the Bahamas and Southeast Texas

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 21:43:27 +0000

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is seeking material handling equipment for those who were affected by the hurricanes and flooding. Kathy Fulton, the Executive Director at ALAN said they are working with a couple of requests for material handling equipment and searching for material handling equipment donations, or financial assistance for some funding to purchase or lease the needed equipment. Fulton is looking for the following equipment: Five 4,000 lbs. forklifts Four 8,000 lbs. forklifts Two 15,000 – 22,000 lbs.forklifts One 15-ton forklift If you can assist in this effort please contact Kathy at ALAN at 863 668-4238 or email her directly at Kathy@ALANaid.org

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ALAN releases statement on Bahamas and Hurricane efforts after Dorian

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 13:23:05 +0000

What is ALAN doing for the Bahamas? If you look up the expression “mixed emotions” in the dictionary today, you might find my picture. On the one hand, I’m hugely relieved that Dorian didn’t strike the U.S East Coast as a Category 5 and that so many communities were spared a direct hit. On the other, I am heartsick about what has happened in the Bahamas. It hurts to see such a paradise destroyed and to think about how many people lost their lives, homes and possessions as a result of this devastating storm. And I am sad beyond words for how long and difficult the path to recovery will be. I know many of you feel the same way, because over the past week, a lot of you have reached out to find out whether ALAN is helping. Thanks to our wonderful network, the answer is a resounding yes. Over the past two weeks, we’ve had a chance to work closely with numerous non-profit partners who are working diligently help survivors on the Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands. Among other things, we’ve arranged for the transportation of shelf stable food from Atlanta to West Palm Beach, found storage space for cleaning and household goods that will be needed during the clean-up phase, and assisted with the transportation of medical supplies. We’ve also been on the search for donated warehousing in Nassau and near the Port of Palm Beach. (Can you help with this? If so, give us a shout.) For the most part, this has consisted of leveraging our U.S. ground transportation and warehousing networks to help relief organizations fill in critical supply chain gaps. It’s also meant partnering closely with Airlink and LIFT Non-Profit Logistics, whose partners have focused on finding the necessary ocean and air capacity, while we and our partners have concentrated on helping supplies get to ports and airports or finding places to store items that will be used later Meanwhile, we haven’t forgotten about North Carolina. We’ve been in close touch with partners on the ground there and are happy to report that they’ve been able to manage most of their issues locally – which is great news and what resilience is all about. But that’s only part of the story. Sometime in the next few days, many of our non-profit partners will complete their initial assessments and come to us with numerous more requests for assistance. I don’t have all the specifics yet. However, I know that many of these needs will involve getting goods to the South Florida area or providing warehousing and equipment there, because that’s where the bulk relief efforts to the Bahamas are originating. I also know that the ALAN community will rise to the occasion. Which brings me to the final emotion I’ve been experiencing quite a bit of this week: Hope. Things are indeed heartbreaking in the Bahamas right now. But with folks like you in our corner, I know that recovery and resilience will happen. I know because I’ve seen it again and again. Thank you for fueling that optimism and for being one of the best parts of my job. My outlook wouldn’t be nearly as sunny without you.

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American Logistics Aid Network urges Precautions, Preparation for Hurricane Dorian

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 19:43:42 +0000

As Hurricane Dorian heads toward the mainland U.S., the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is urging residents of Florida, the Gulf Coast and other parts of the Southeast to start preparing – and advising the logistics community to get ready to help. “The strength and path projections for Dorian are still very uncertain, but do suggest that it could be a destructive and dangerous event for Florida and potentially all of the Southeast and Gulf Coast,” said Kathy Fulton, ALAN’s Executive Director. “As a result, ALAN is officially mobilizing and gearing up to provide donated space, trucking, services and equipment as needed.” ALAN has activated a Hurricane Dorian Micro-site, where the humanitarian organization will be posting requests for assistance and links to helpful community resources. In addition, it has issued an official “STORM” advisory that provides several do’s and don’ts for safe and efficient disaster preparation and relief. (See below.) As always, Fulton said that ALAN hopes these measures will prove to be merely precautionary. “During our 14 years of operation, we’ve seen some potentially catastrophic hurricanes that have turned into relatively minor events while others have morphed into far more major events than originally anticipated,” she said. “Obviously, we hope Dorian will turn out to be the former. However if it isn’t, we want people to remember that we are here to assist – and that when it comes to these storms, there’s no such thing as too ready.” ALAN’S Official STORM Advisory S tay safe. If you and your business facilities are located anywhere near Dorian’s projected path, be sure to monitor your local National Weather Service forecast for real-time details. Just as important, please heed any warnings or advisories that pertain to you or your personnel – and allow plenty of time for your employees to evacuate or make preparations to shelter in place. Dorian is expected to turn into a major hurricane that could produce everything from strong winds and heavy rains to a damaging storm surge, and it is not to be taken lightly. T reat every storm (including this one) like it might be the big one – even if previous storms have seemed to be “much ado about nothing.” Each time an area successfully dodges a major tropical storm or hurricane, it increases the risk that local residents won’t take future warnings about hurricanes quite as seriously. Please don’t buy into this attitude. Each storm truly is unique, and just because you haven’t been impacted in a big way yet, there’s no guarantee that you’ll continue to be that fortunate moving forward. Always heed the warnings for your area – and don’t ever assume those warnings are exaggerated. Your life and safety could depend on it. O ffer any logistics space, equipment or services you might be willing to donate at https://www.alanaid.org/how-to-help/. Although logistics professionals may not have the medical skills of first responders, they have many skills and assets that can be equally applicable after disasters hit – because when bad things happen, one of the hardest parts of humanitarian organizations’ jobs is getting items like food and hydration to disaster sites as quickly as possible. In fact, logistics accounts for up to 80% of their disaster budgets – and as much as 40% of that is wasted. That’s a lot of cost – and considerable opportunity for the logistics community to be of use. (It’s also what ALAN is all about.) R esist the urge to self-deploy or to participate in product collection drives. Although the intention behind these drives is good, they often create more challenges than they solve, including adding more products to a supply chain that is already under tremendous strain. The same holds true for just packing up a truck and heading down to a disaster-impacted area, because that could get in the way of first responders who are working to save lives. If you’re looking for a tangible way to engage your employees in hurricane relief, pick a humanitarian organization like ALAN or one of the many humanitarian groups ALAN supports and collect money for it instead. Such donations will be much more useful and efficient. And unlike many post-disaster product donations (which often end up in landfills), they will not go to waste. M ake frequent visits to ALAN’s Micro-Site at https://www.alanaid.org/operations/. During disasters, it serves as the centerpiece of our active relief efforts. Among other things, it includes a wide variety of links and resources to keep you in the loop. Just as important, it provides the latest details about what ALAN is doing, and how members of the logistics community can help.

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