In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering help to Florida residents with a program called “Operation Blue Roof,” which provides fiber-reinforced tarps to homeowners to cover damaged roofs until they can arrange repairs. The only problem is, one federal agency appears to have accidentally directed folks to a phone sex line instead. [More]
disaster relief
New Facebook Safety Check Feature Lets Users Offer, Get Help In A Crisis
By 2.8.17
More than two years after Facebook launched its Safety Check tool as a way for users to let their friends and family know they’re okay in a crisis, the social media company is adding a feature that will allow people to ask for help, as well as offer it, when natural disasters or other emergency situations occur. [More]
How Flood Insurance Failed Superstorm Sandy Victims When Their Homes Actually Flooded
By 5.24.16
It’s difficult to think of natural disasters as a business, but ultimately they are. More than three years ago, Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy hit heavily populated parts of the East Coast. We’re a wealthy country, though, with a robust national flood insurance program, plenty of disaster aid, and a can-do spirit. All of the people driven out of their homes have rebuilt or received settlements and moved on, right? No. [More]
Verizon Not Charging Soldiers For Mobile Calls From Haiti To U.S.
By 2.20.10
Verizon Wireless now says that the astronomical bills some customers received after making cell phone calls from Haiti shortly after the catastrophic earthquake there last month were due to a computer glitch. According to the Fayetteville Observer, mobile calls placed in Haiti showed up in their system as being placed in Jamaica. Calls from Haiti to the United States should have been free all along, and Spc. James Crawford does not owe Verizon almost $2,000 for phone calls he placed to his pregnant wife back in North Carolina. [More]
