Emergency Management Officials Team Up With Big Businesses To Improve Response Times During Natural Disasters
By David Madden
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) - Emergency management officials in New Jersey have reached a deal with a big box retail chain that could improve response time in the event of a disaster.
Why would the office of Homeland Security and Preparedness sign a memorandum of understanding with Target? Well, consider if we get hit by a tropical storm like we did this year. OHSP Director Charles McKenna says the state will be able to reach out to Target, if they can get provisions to people who need them quickly.
"Their ability with logistics - that is the movement and storage of commodities - is much greater than anything the state can do.
Look for similar agreements to come with places like Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Home Depot. Other states, most notably California and Florida, have alliances like this in place. The idea is to bypass government bureaucracy that can sometimes get in the way of getting assistance out.
