Social media, crisis mapping and the new frontier in disaster response | Global Development Professionals Network | Guardian Professional

Social media, crisis mapping and the new frontier in disaster response | Global Development Professionals Network | Guardian Professional: Social media, crisis mapping and the new frontier in disaster response

During a crisis the large amounts of data produced can be overwhelming to analyse. Microtasking could help solve that problem by harnessing the power of the crowd

Record smashing swimmer Diana Nyad to swim laps for two days in Herald Square

Record smashing swimmer Diana Nyad to swim laps for two days in Herald Square: Swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida was apparently just a warm-up.

Beginning Tuesdayat 8:30 a.m., swimmer Diana Nyad will be swimming for 48 hours straight in a pool set up in Herald Square to support Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts while raising money for AmeriCares, the global health and disaster relief organization.

Report urges extreme weather superfund in wake of Sandy

Report urges extreme weather superfund in wake of Sandy: Escalating costs from weather disasters like superstorm Sandy and the recent Colorado floods show the need for a new national disaster relief and preparation fund, paid for with new revenue including a levy on atmospheric carbon emissions, according to a new report by the New Jersey-based nonprofit group U.S. Strong.

Wireless Developer Network

Wireless Developer Network: A unique SMS-driven fundraiser, has been launched in Russia under the banner “All Together”. The goal of the campaign is to raise funds for families hit by the floods in the Russian Far East. This event proved to be the biggest non-profit campaigns in Europe – more than 9.5 million people took part in it which allowed to raise more than US $ 23 million, and a considerable part of it was raised through SMS. The technical side of the fundraiser was handled by i-Free.

Lowe's Announces $500,000 Grant To First Response Team Of America - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

PRESS RELEASE

Lowe's Announces $500,000 Grant To First Response Team Of America - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee: MOORESVILLE, N.C., Oct. 4, 2013 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation today announced a $500,000 grant to the First Response Team of America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working alongside local agencies to help save lives in the wake of destruction. Lowe's and the First Response Team are currently helping local families and communities recover from the recent flooding in Colorado. Volunteers are delivering critically needed cleaning supplies and assisting residents.

Indian, Nepalese armies carry out joint drill in Uttarakhand - Economic Times

Indian, Nepalese armies carry out joint drill in Uttarakhand - Economic Times: NEW DELHI: Armies of India and Nepal carried out joint disaster relief operations in the Himalayas during exercise 'Surya Kiran' held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, which was recently devastated by heavy rains and floods.

Crowded field shuts charity out of next year’s marathon | Boston Herald

Crowded field shuts charity out of next year’s marathon | Boston Herald: But the foundation has been unable to get approval from either the BAA or marathon sponsor John Hancock to acquire race bibs for a charity team. In fact, at present, the BAA has not yet approved any bibs for any charity that supports those killed or injured in the blasts.

“We were approached by the families and friends of some of the victims who wanted to run for the foundation,” Hill told the Track. “We applied to John Hancock for bibs, and since it appears as though the charities are arbitrarily chosen, it seems odd that they wouldn’t choose a foundation that helps marathon victims.”

Earthquake: Food supplies and tents reach Awaran – The Express Tribune

Earthquake: Food supplies and tents reach Awaran – The Express Tribune: ore than 328 people have died and hundreds of others have been injured because of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Balochistan on September 24, Express News reported on Wednesday.

Around 208 people died in the Awaran district alone. It is feared that the death toll will continue to rise as many people are reportedly trapped under rubble.

USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives Closes in Haiti and Celebrates Hundreds of Community Achievements | ReliefWeb

USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives Closes in Haiti and Celebrates Hundreds of Community Achievements | ReliefWeb: The Haiti Recovery Initiative is among the U.S. Government’s biggest earthquake response programs, and throughout its entire lifetime, the program has remained committed to helping Haitians rebuild their communities and work with national and local leadership to prioritize and respond to community needs,” said Ambassador White at the closing event.

USAID/OTI’s $155 million program supported the U.S. Government earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti in the regions of Port-au-Prince, Saint Marc and Cap Haitien.

Hell or High Water rodeo raises cash, spirits for flood victims

Hell or High Water rodeo raises cash, spirits for flood victims: Hell or High Water rodeo raises cash, spirits for flood victims

Disaster relief funding in the spotlight

Disaster relief funding in the spotlight: A Griffith University researcher wants to investigate whether government disaster relief funding has made a south Brisbane suburb better prepared for major flooding.

Rocklea was one of the worst-hit Brisbane suburbs during the 2010-11 floods, with the Brisbane Market inundated and an estimated 900 properties affected.

Boulder Trying To Help Flood Victims Rebuild Faster � CBS Denver

Boulder Trying To Help Flood Victims Rebuild Faster � CBS Denver

Students volunteer time for flood relief: How to get involved | CU Independent

Students volunteer time for flood relief: How to get involved | CU Independent: CU’s Volunteer Resource Center has partnered with CU Student Government and Boulder Flood Relief, an organization working to coordinate volunteers, to gather donations and provide assistance to flood victims.

Megan Frewaldt, assistant director of the Volunteer Resource Center, said the center and Boulder Flood Relief are going house-to-house asking people what they need.

Property losses from Colorado flood projected at about $2 billion | Reuters

Property losses from Colorado flood projected at about $2 billion | Reuters: Property losses from deadly flooding in Colorado will total nearly $2 billion, about half from housing and half from the commercial and government sectors, catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat said on Wednesday in the first comprehensive estimate of the disaster's economic toll.

Colorado Flood Crisis: Relief Staff Headed to Disaster Area

Colorado Flood Crisis: Relief Staff Headed to Disaster Area: As rescue efforts continue for survivors in flood-ravaged Colorado, AmeriCares is deploying relief staff to the hardest hit areas, to assess immediate needs and connect with partner organizations helping communities suffering amid the devastation.

Colorado Flooding Forces More Evacuations - WSJ.com

Colorado Flooding Forces More Evacuations - WSJ.com: heriff Pelle called the scale of the disaster "unprecedented" and expressed concern about remote areas without sewer services, water, or electricity.

"We don't know about lives lost, homes lost, people stranded in many of our canyon communities," he said, saying that assessment could take days. "We have lost every roadway leading to the western end of our county."

Southern AZ Red Cross sending aid to Colorado - Tucson News Now

Southern AZ Red Cross sending aid to Colorado - Tucson News Now: The Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross is sending aid to Denver, Colo., to assist those affected from recent flooding.

Colorado: Another deluge, no relief from epic flooding - Washington Times

Colorado: Another deluge, no relief from epic flooding - Washington Times: An estimated 1,250 people were unaccounted for after five days of heavy rain flooded highways, collapsed bridges and engulfed houses along Colorado’s Front Range and foothills. The death toll rose to six after a woman’s house was swept away by flooding.

Donation center set to open in Loveland; items and volunteers needed | The Coloradoan | coloradoan.com

Donation center set to open in Loveland; items and volunteers needed | The Coloradoan | coloradoan.com: An official donation list and volunteer needs will be posted at www.ci.loveland.co.us early this week. The center, located in Building D of Agilent Technolgies, 900 S. Taft, is being managed by city of Loveland staff with the advisement of Adventist Community Services Disaster Relief, which helped manage a similar center for fire survivors last year.

Boulder flood relief volunteers not yet wanted, but there are ways to help - Boulder Daily Camera

Boulder flood relief volunteers not yet wanted, but there are ways to help - Boulder Daily Camera:T he Boulder Office of Emergency Management is not currently asking for flood relief volunteers, and potential helping hands are being told to avoid disaster sites so as not to interfere with response efforts.

"The biggest help we can get is for people to remain calm and stay home so our first responders can get into the community and help get things understood and under control.