UPS Gets the World Ready for Disaster

Apparently UPS is taking over all of the functions of our government. The U.S. Postal Service can’t seem to hold its own against this company and other fast-delivering parcel-carriers. FEMA, which admittedly couldn’t hold its own against a stiff breeze, is now being put to shame again as UPS and the UPS Foundation shore up other relief organizations’ capacity to respond to global emergencies to the tune of $9 million, according to a UPS press release.

Okay, so I’m not being entirely truthful, since FEMA deals with national disasters, and these UPS grants focus on emergencies around the world. But still, it’s interesting to see a single company beating two of our federal agencies at their own games.

Last week, in a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, the company announced its intention to fund improvements in the crisis response abilities of international organizations such as the American Red Cross (ARC), the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and CARE.

The grants involved are for logistics, technology and programming:

A $500,000 donation will improve the ARC's logistics, shipping and warehousing.A $1 million contribution to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF serves in part to strengthen its disaster-preparedness in the Asia-Pacific region.A $250,000 grant to CARE will enable, among other things, enhanced tracking of relief supplies using Aidmatrix technology.A $50,000 grant to Safe America will assist its efforts to prepare American families for natural disasters and emergencies.

"This broad strategy for global disaster preparedness and response extends well beyond traditional financial support," said UPS Foundation president Ken Sternad in the UPS statement. "We are combining our supply chain expertise, our assets, and linking our key partners to enable more effective response to global emergencies."

The need is acute. UNICEF estimates that 20 million children have lost their homes over the past decade due to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Over a million more have been orphaned or last track of their families in these situations.

 

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