San Francisco Taps Local Tech Companies For Crisis Planning Efforts
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Crisis planning in San Francisco took a new step on Tuesday with the announcement of a partnership between city government and the growing "sharing economy".
Companies like Task Rabbit and Yerdle and others who share things like cars, rooms and other services are working to help out in the event of a disaster.
Task Rabbit pairs people who need services with those who perform them while Yerdle is a site where people post items they want to give away.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee made the announcement of the partnership with this community in front of the Department of Emergency Management and said companies like these can fill many needs during disaster recovery.
"We take this opportunity to remind ourselves that everything we can do ahead of time to better prepare for a disaster is going to be incredibly beneficial to our residents, to our small businesses, even to our major businesses," Lee said.
San Francisco Taps Into 'Shared Community' In Efforts To Plan For A Crisis
Co-founder of the San Francisco-based Airbnb Nate Blecharczyk said they were inspired after helping provide shelter for residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy.
"Users of the Airbnb platform were updating their platform to say if you're a New Yorker and you need a place to stay tonight, I'll take you into my home. No money," he said.
The companies have joined San Francisco's Disaster Council to begin formulating a central system for delivering help.
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