disaster relief – SomeGadgetGuy

Always nice seeing companies step up during disasters.

Through November 30th, AT&T post pay customers wont be charged for calls or texts placed to the Philippines. Wireline and U-Verse customers will be given a 60 minute grace where that time wont be reflected on this current billing cycle, or will be credited on the following billing cycle. It’s a very nice gesture, being able to take one communication issue of of people’s minds as they try to reach out to loved ones.

For those looking to help send aid, AT&T has set up a series of short codes to allow customers to donate money through their wireless bill to several organizations.

Text AID to 50555 to give a $10 donation to Operation USA
Text AID to 80077 to give $10 to HOPE Worldwide
Text AID to 27722 to give $10 to World Food Program USA
Text AID to 80108 to give $10 The mGive Foundation Philippines Typhoon Relief Fund (U.S .State Dept Campaign)

The following organizations can provide more information, and are also accepting donations:
Phillipine Red Cross
UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency)
UNICEF

Full AT&T details after the jump.

Continue reading “AT&T Offers Billing Relief to people calling Philippines, adds easy methods to donate and send aid”

I happen to live in an earthquake prone state, so the fear of being buried alive under a collapsed roof is very real.

NASA has developed a new tool to aid disaster relief first responders. A small box the size of a carry-on suitcase (an actual carry-on, not those gi-normous bags YOU try and cram into overhead space) utilizes RADAR to detect human heart beats through tens of feet of rubble and debris.

FINDER, which stands for “Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response”, isn’t just a tech proof of concept either. NASA has worked on fleshing out the device’s ecosystem focusing on ease of use and portability. FINDER’s battery will allow for up to 14 hours of use, and it’s controlled via tablet. NASA believes that most people should be capable of using FINDER after only a few minutes of introduction, and that it’s little different in operation than pointing a flashlight down a dark tunnel.

Lastly, even though FINDER is bleeding edge rescue tech, NASA estimates that individual units could sell for around $10,000. In terms of speeding up disaster response, that’s not a difficult price to pay.

(pic via PhysOrg)