Supplies Needed! How You Can Support Disaster Relief

From the fires in Los Angeles to the hurricanes that ripped through Florida and North Carolina, natural disasters have upended the lives of many over the past few months. Those who work in the supply chain and logistics industry are often uniquely equipped to provide critical assistance to victims.

The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), which originally formed in response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, is an organization that leads the way in providing assistance following large scale disasters. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal featured ALAN’s current effort to help coordinate the numerous donation sites that have sprung up in Los Angeles. “Many of them are doing a good job sorting, but it’s a mess honestly. These are not places that do warehousing and logistics,” stated Kathy Fulton, executive director of ALAN.

Urgent Needs in Disaster Zones

Although the fires in Los Angeles are now mainly contained, they burned thousands of acres, killed at least 29 people, and destroyed thousands of structures – spelling a very long road to recovery. ALAN helps identify and source the materials that are truly needed in disaster zones. They have identified the following cases as active needs in Southern California:

•  Case 9678: Wire Rack Storage Shelving to Los Angeles, CA 90029 (SoCal Fires)
•  Case 9670: 24′ Bobtail Refrigerated Truck and 14′ Refrigerated Box Truck to Santa Monica, CA 90404 (SoCal Fires)
•  Case 9677: Pallet Racking System to Santa Monica, CA 90404 (SoCal Fires)
•  Case 9673: Two (2) Forklifts to Santa Monica, CA 90404 (SoCal Fires)
•  Case 9661: 10,000 Flat-Packed Boxes to Salt Lake City, UT (SoCal Fires)
•  Case 9660: Temporary Loan of Forklift to Los Angeles, CA 90048 (SoCal Fires)
•  Case 9654: 40,000 – 60,000 square feet warehouse space (SoCal Fires)

Similarly, Western North Carolina also continues to reel from Hurricane Helene. The Associated Press reports that debris removal, housing recovery, economic revitalization, and road repair remain critical needs in the region.  ALAN has identified the following as active needs in the NOrth Carolina

•  Case 9652: One (1) Temporary Loan Forklift to Raleigh, NC 27610 (Hurricane Helene Recovery)
•  Case 9664: Pallet Racking System to Raleigh, NC 27610 (Hurricane Helene Recovery)
•  Case 9643: One (1) Forklift to Asheville, NC 28803 (Hurricane Helene Recovery)
•  Case 9648: Box Cutters, Dollies, Tie-Down Straps, Bungees, Granite Clamps, Wire Containers, Plastic Collapsible Pallets, Platform Carts/Trucks, Safety Glasses, Safety Cones, and Moving Blankets to Asheville, NC 28803 (Hurricane Helene Recovery)
•  Case 9647: 8-10 Medium/Large Plastic Bins to Asheville, NC 28803 (Hurricane Helene Recovery)
•  Case 9634: One (1) forklift to Burlington, NC 27217 (Hurricane Helene Recovery)

Disaster relief efforts depend on logistics expertise and supply donations from industry leaders. Please check ALAN’s active logistics list frequently to see if your company is able to provide any of the evolving needs.

MHI is a proud supporter of ALAN; in October, the MHI Board of Governors approved a donation of $200,00 to helps with ALAN’s recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

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