logo
ENع
#

Latest news with #NERV

How to Protect Yourself in an Earthquake
How to Protect Yourself in an Earthquake

New York Times

time08-04-2025

  • New York Times

How to Protect Yourself in an Earthquake

On March 28, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, devastating communities and killing at least 3,500 people. The quake also caused buildings to sway, even collapse, in the tourist hot spot of Bangkok. Videos posted online showed water from rooftop swimming pools spilling over the sides of high-rise hotels. Scientists can't predict exactly where or when the next big quake will occur, though many popular vacation destinations such as California, Chile, Fiji, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the Caribbean lie in active earthquake zones. If you're planning to travel to these or other quake-prone regions, there are some steps you can take to stay safe. Take advantage of technology Before you go, do some basic internet research to see if your destination has experienced major quakes. Identify which local agency issues guidance and information during disasters and check whether your destination has an earthquake early-warning system. These networks of sensors automatically analyze big quakes the moment they start then send out an alert, giving those affected seconds to prepare before the ground starts shaking. 'Seconds matter,' in an earthquake, said Sara McBride, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program. She pointed to footage from a Taiwan maternity ward during a 7.4-magnitude quake last year, when an alert sent a trio of nurses scrambling to push together a dozen bassinets, holding the newborns safely in place as the building lurched. Some systems send alerts directly to your phone when quakes happen; you can also download apps like SASSLA for Mexico, SafetyTips or NERV for Japan, and MyShake in the United States to get push alerts. Also, register with the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, and leave a copy of your itinerary with friends or family, as quakes often sever communication lines. 'A bit of research can really make a difference,' Dr. McBride said. Drop, cover and hold on In most earthquakes, experts advise three simple actions to protect yourself: Drop, cover and hold on. Earthquakes cause the ground to move in unpredictable ways, sometimes sharply jerking, other times swaying like a ship in rough seas. To prevent falling, drop to your hands and knees (or if you use a wheelchair, lock the wheels). Cover your head and neck with your arms. Crawl under a sturdy table or desk if nearby, or next to an interior wall if not. (Seeking shelter in a doorway is no longer recommended.) Then hold on. If you're under a table, grip a leg with one hand and stay put until the shaking stops. The bigger the quake, the longer it will last. For example, the 9.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 went on for nearly six minutes. If you're indoors, resist the urge to run outside. You could be struck by falling debris or knocked to the ground. If you're outdoors, stay outside and try to move away from buildings, streetlamps, power lines and trees. Dr. McBride cautioned that any movement during a quake can be dangerous. Even standing upright during intense shaking is difficult. Practice what you would do in a quake. 'You don't want to learn how to use a fire extinguisher when your garage is on fire,' said Brian Blake, executive director of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium. Building type matters While the advice to stay inside and drop, cover and hold on applies to most situations, it doesn't apply to all. According to the Earthquake Country Alliance, if you're on the ground floor of a building constructed with little input from architects or engineers, such as mud-brick structures, this is the only instance in which you should consider moving outside during a quake. Dr. McBride advised researching local protocols for earthquake response. Oftentimes the manager or safety officer at your hotel can provide guidance. Such local knowledge was invaluable to Christine Bedenis, 37, of Detroit, who was backpacking in Nepal in 2015 when a magnitude-7.8 quake struck. Not long after the ground had stilled, dogs outside a restaurant started barking — a sign that an aftershock was coming — and locals hustled everyone out of the stone and wood building, which wasn't built to withstand shaking. It's not over when the shaking stops Once the quake subsides, many risks still remain — leaking gas lines, downed wires, fires and more. Coastal quakes are particularly dangerous because of possible tsunamis. If you're on a coast when an intense quake strikes, 'move inland on foot immediately,' said Wendy Bohon, an earthquake geologist and science communicator in California. What's more, aftershocks are inevitable with a big quake, and they may cause additional damage. If you're in a heavily damaged building and can get outside, take your documents and medications with you, as you may not be able to re-enter. Cellular networks are often overburdened after quakes, so try sending a text message or post on social media — using features like Facebook's Safety Check — rather than making a voice call to tell friends and family you're OK. Some newer phones also allow you to send text messages and share your location via satellite, if cellular networks are down.

Research shows this company benefit reigns supreme. Cisco is a case study in how
Research shows this company benefit reigns supreme. Cisco is a case study in how

Yahoo

time03-04-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Research shows this company benefit reigns supreme. Cisco is a case study in how

'Do well by doing good,' a phrase often attributed to Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, holds true for company culture today. While many firms tout free catered lunches or swanky on-site fitness rooms for staff, research shows that one corporate benefit reigns supreme. Volunteer programs are the sole workplace wellness offering to have a truly positive effect on an employee's mental health, according to a recent large-scale systematic review by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre. Companies are waking up to the fact that volunteering can boost employee retention, engagement, and productivity. Programs that allow staff to volunteer while they're on the clock are swiftly growing in popularity, according to a recent survey from the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals. Consider Cisco, No. 3 on this year's 100 Best Companies to Work For list. The software firm has maintained a more than 80% employee participation rate in its give-back and volunteer programs since 2020, and recently hit a milestone of 86%. 'Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all,' Kelly Jones, Cisco chief people officer, says of the importance of encouraging volunteerism to build a strong company culture. 'It lives right in the center of our purpose.' While giving back 'has always been part of our DNA,' she says, Cisco expanded its program just after CEO Chuck Robbins took on the leadership role in 2015. 'He had a strong sense about how he wanted to lead the culture,' Jones says. Volunteer opportunities at Cisco, which has over 89,000 employees globally, are expansive. They include the Time 2 Give perk offering two paid weeks off a year for workers to volunteer in any way that's 'near and dear to your heart,' says Jones, who, as an outdoorsy Colorado resident, typically uses that time to help maintain hiking trails. There are also skills-based volunteer programs, connecting workers with organizations in need, including Cisco Crisis Response, which collaborates with local agencies to rush in and help with its Cisco Network Emergency Response Vehicle (NERV) to address disasters such as the recent floods in North Carolina or the California wildfires. That program is what attracted Cisco analyst Micaela Cacho-Negrete to the company. 'I joined Cisco in part because of its strong sense of corporate purpose and the many opportunities there are to be a part of that work,' Cacho-Negrete, now a crisis-response volunteer, wrote in a Cisco blog entry. 86% $10,000 720,000 The company also hosts various team-organized days of giving back—and it matches individual donations of up to $10,000 a year, which Jones takes advantage of by donating to the Children's Tumor Foundation: 'A big one in my heart,' she says. Cisco's motivation, of course, is twofold, as volunteering brings positive outcomes to both employees and to the business at large. Having an engaged and happy staff pays dividends in the end. Jones says that while the programs were born from the belief that Cisco could and should give back to the communities in which its employees live and work, they have brought the business a satisfying 'by-product' in the form of high retention, engagement, and performance. 'For us, that's really important,' she says, because when it comes to the performance of its employees, 'you can draw a straight line from that right to how our customers feel.' To streamline efforts, Cisco has formed partnerships with nonprofits—from Rise Against Hunger, for which it's helped to assemble meal kits that get delivered to people in rural African communities, to the youth-homelessness support organization Covenant House, for which it has provided volunteers, job training, and technological equipment. 'So it can span across a lot of things, based on what the needs of the community are. And the cool thing about it is oftentimes these are unearthed by our employees,' Jones says. 'We see a lot of self-organizing. Our employees kind of say, 'Ah, this is a problem that exists in my community, and I think we can harness Cisco to help solve it.'' More on the : An overview of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For The unique approach to remote work at Atlassian (No. 95) An impressive parental leave policy at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (No. 84) How the Best Companies to Work For give their employees time to recharge Where DEI policies fit in today's business landscape This article appears in the April/May 2025 issue of Fortune. This story was originally featured on

A Look Behind Cisco Crisis Response
A Look Behind Cisco Crisis Response

Yahoo

time27-03-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

A Look Behind Cisco Crisis Response

NORTHAMPTON, MA/ ACCESS Newswire / March 26, 2025 / Cisco Systems Inc. By Erin Connor The following is an excerpt from our FY24 Purpose Report, celebrating 40 years of impact at Cisco. Data and metrics are reflective of Cisco's fiscal year 2024, ending on July 31, 2024. Today, connectivity is no longer a form of aid; instead, it's often necessary to even receive aid. Beneficiary registration, digital cash, relief benefits, and social service applications all require secure connectivity- and Cisco helps deliver this essential need. Cisco Crisis Response (CCR) is a leader in the private sector in responding to humanitarian challenges and works directly with government agencies, humanitarian and emergency response organizations, and those affected by crises. CCR's support includes on-the-ground connectivity, collaboration solutions, and security solutions for both communities and support agencies. In addition, we provide training to help build preparedness, response capabilities, and long-term resilience to NGOs supporting crisis-affected communities. CCR also offers cash and technology donations to humanitarian nonprofit partners, as well as pro bono consulting on network design and emergency connectivity solutions. Spotlight On: Powering Communications on the Ground Cisco's Network Emergency Responsible Vehicles (NERVs) provide fast and secure communications when existing communications may be disrupted or degraded. Offered free of charge, onboard NERV features include: fully redundant Cisco Meraki networking components for mission-critical communications; hyperconverged Cisco UCS compute cluster; Cisco Industrial IoT solutions for monitoring and control of vehicle systems; and a high capacity, rechargeable, hybrid power system that powers mission workloads and improves readiness, deployment longevity, and sustainability. In fiscal 2024, CCR introduced new features to help reach, power, and connect even more communities in need. This includes Line-of-Sight 2.0 kits-comprised of Cisco's Ultra Reliable Wireless Backhaul products-which extend the reach of the NERV to remote networks beyond the limitations of WiFi or when wired networks are not feasible. We also incorporated a Starlink High-Performance solution to add to the suite of backhaul options. Take a virtual reality tour of the NERV and learn more about the set-up and features. Here are a few examples of how our Cisco Crisis Response supported communities around the world in FY24: Combatting Homelessness In 2018, Cisco committed US$50 million in grant funding over five years-the largest corporate donation of its kind at the time-to address homelessness in Santa Clara County, California. We have far exceeded our original commitment and geographic scope- investing US$130 million to address housing and homelessness globally. This includes US$22 million in product donations to homeless service organizations and supportive housing developments around the world. In Santa Clara County, Cisco's flexible, private funding has leveraged over US$1.5 billion in public funding to create 3,500 homes, and our homelessness prevention efforts with Destination: Home have prevented 7,200 households from becoming homeless. Learn more about Cisco's efforts to address homelessness. Responding to Wildfires in Maui In August 2023, wildfires broke out in Hawaii, prompting evacuations and causing widespread damage. The lack of connectivity left many unable to use credit or debit cards, access ATMs, or pay for essential items like gas, food, and medication. CCR mobilized to restore critical Internet, wireless, and phone connectivity for government agencies and nonprofits. We also launched an employee donation-matching disaster campaign that raised US$360,000 to support the American Red Cross, Americares, the Maui Food Bank, and World Central Kitchen. Protecting Against Hackers Many nonprofits and NGOs lack enterprise-grade cybersecurity, giving bad actors the opportunity to either disrupt rescue operations or steal personal, financial, or government data. CCR and NetHope work together to boost nonprofits' cybersecurity capabilities and provide the technology, cooperation, and expertise that will thwart hackers, even during vulnerable crisis situations. In addition to the world-class security that is built into every product, Cisco provides innovative mobile networking kits that are highly effective- and secure-in crisis situations. We also use AI to analyze network activity for malicious patterns that allow our response partners to identify and neutralize threats faster, minimizing risk and protecting vulnerable populations' data. Read the full FY24 Purpose Report View original content here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on Contact Info:Spokesperson: Cisco Systems info@ SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store