Disaster recovery: October 2007 Archives
In order to ensure the most efficient collection
and distribution of large quantity donations for Southern California
fire victims, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a toll-free line
that businesses nationwide can use to make in-kind donations of goods.
"This hotline makes it easy for businesses to
donate the many things that displaced fire victims need,"
Schwarzenegger said. "By coordinating donations, we can help ensure
that the right supplies get to the people who need them most."
The toll free number is 1-800-750-2858. The line
will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. by the Governor's Office of
Emergency Services. Operators will match donations to local disaster
efforts across Southern California.
- Report your claim to your insurance company right away.
- Get a copy of your insurance policy and read it carefully.
- Start
to assemble a list of your contents. Where possible, track down
receipts and try to remember where you purchased each item and its cost.
- Keep receipts for every expense and cost you have incurred as a result of the evacuation and/or loss of your home.
- Try
to determine the replacement cost of each of the items in your home;
sometimes a department store catalogue is a quick method for standard
household items.
- Continue to make your mortgage payments, unless other arrangements are made with your lender.
- Keep copies of everything you give to your adjuster.
- Confirm
important discussions you have with your adjuster in writing (ie. by
email or by letter). This would include any extensions or time periods
within which replacement must be in effect, confirmations to proceed to
purchase certain replacement items, etc.
- Keep a log of
all telephone calls and correspondence, and make copies of all
correspondence you send to, or receive from, your insurance company.
- Prepare for all of your meetings with your adjuster. Determine, in advance, what is to be discussed at the meeting, and ensure that you are organized. For example, if you are meeting with your adjuster to determine the value of some of your house contents, it is a good idea to have all of the back-up documentation available for your meeting. The more organized you are, the quicker things will get done.
iForem is dedicated to be here when disaster strikes.
These fires are close to home and personal. We have friends and family
who, like many, have been affected in this horrible natural disaster. We in California are used to natural
disaster but this is a truly devastating event. iForem wishes the families who have lost so much, peace of
mind, and the hope you can rebuild soon.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sought help from other states as wind-fueled fires burned 356,000 acres (142,400 hectares) across Southern California, consuming hundreds of houses, killing two people and uprooting more than a quarter- million more.
About 68,500 homes and 2,200 businesses are threatened by fires, and 321,000 residents have fled, Rochelle Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the state's emergency response team, said in an interview today.
``I'm heartbroken to see those things,'' Schwarzenegger said in a news conference after touring burned houses in San Diego. ``These are people that have saved all their lives to pay for those homes. We have to do everything we can to help these people.''
This is how data is managed to keep costs down in the world today - would have been allot safer with iForem.
olumbus (OH) - The man responsible for the biggest data theft in the state of Ohio has received his official punishment - five days of lost vacation.
This summer, a tape containing tens of thousands of government data records was stolen from the car of an Ohio intern. According to reports following the incident, it was common practice to send sensitive discs home with employees as a "safety measure" to ensure critical government data was not left entirely in the state offices overnight. The practice was put to an end after the July incident following an executive order from Governor Ted Strickland.
Jerry Miller, Ohio Department of Administrative Services payroll team leader, was deemed responsible for the data theft. He was ordered to surrender a week of paid vacation for his role in the data breach.
Social security numbers and other sensitive data of over 120,000 Ohio taxpayers and state employees were on the tape, according to computer forensics research. The cost of replacing the data and providing free credit monitoring to all those affected, along with other costs, will total around $3 million.
A spokesperson for the state's Department of Administrative Services called Miller a "stellar longtime DAS employee", saying he was forthcoming about the incident. The punishment was recommended by a state board that investigated the incident.
The government spokesperson went on to say, "One lesson that the state learned is that we need to throw more resources at security and privacy when we have an issue like that."
olumbus (OH) - The man responsible for the biggest data theft in the state of Ohio has received his official punishment - five days of lost vacation.
This summer, a tape containing tens of thousands of government data records was stolen from the car of an Ohio intern. According to reports following the incident, it was common practice to send sensitive discs home with employees as a "safety measure" to ensure critical government data was not left entirely in the state offices overnight. The practice was put to an end after the July incident following an executive order from Governor Ted Strickland.
Jerry Miller, Ohio Department of Administrative Services payroll team leader, was deemed responsible for the data theft. He was ordered to surrender a week of paid vacation for his role in the data breach.
Social security numbers and other sensitive data of over 120,000 Ohio taxpayers and state employees were on the tape, according to computer forensics research. The cost of replacing the data and providing free credit monitoring to all those affected, along with other costs, will total around $3 million.
A spokesperson for the state's Department of Administrative Services called Miller a "stellar longtime DAS employee", saying he was forthcoming about the incident. The punishment was recommended by a state board that investigated the incident.
The government spokesperson went on to say, "One lesson that the state learned is that we need to throw more resources at security and privacy when we have an issue like that."
